Teaching Today publishes innovative teaching tips on a weekly basis. Written with the busy teacher in mind, each tip is concise, practical and easy to implement in the classroom right away. Topics covered in Teaching Today are classroom management, career development, high stakes testing, instruction and planning, parental involvement, reading in the content areas, using technology in the classroom, and portfolio development. Teaching Today also offers free weekly downloads that correspond to the tips. Our free downloads make implementing the teaching tips even easier. Teaching Today provides educational resources for teachers looking for everyday solutions to the challenges of the classroom.
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Teaching Today - This Week's Tips Teaching Today - This Week's Tips

This Week's Topic

Instructor Management and Visual Aids—Part 1
Visual aids, or visuals, can enhance or distract from your delivery. Used appropriately, visuals enhance student learning and retention. Used inappropriately, visuals distract from both. This week’s tips focus on different types of visuals.

This Week's Tips

Using Visual Aids (Monday)
Using visual aids appropriately and effectively will enhance the delivery of your lectures. Used inappropriately, visuals can slow down your lectures or cut into time that is needed for interaction and discussion. Use visuals for these reasons: to reinforce a particular message, to help the students see the point, or to explain a complex or technical subject.

Types of Visuals (Tuesday)
Visual aids can be classified into three categories. Physical objects: Use a physical object to demonstrate tactically, such as using a camera to demonstrate how to take a picture. Pictorial reproductions: Photographs, sketches, slides, computer graphics, videotapes, and other pictorial reproductions help students see what you're presenting in your lecture. Pictorial symbols: Charts, graphs, lists, and diagrams are other ways to illustrate material.

The Art of Using Visual Aids (Wednesday)
Consider the following tips to make your visuals effective: Keep in mind the accessibility and availability of any equipment you might need. Use visuals to reinforce key points; do not use visuals as the focus of the entire lecture. Handle a visual only when you are making a direct reference to it. Never stand between students and a visual.

Creating Charts and Graphs (Thursday)
Studies show that visuals help students learn more easily and retain information longer. Charts and graphs are familiar types of visuals, whether on overhead transparencies, in PowerPoint presentations, or drawn on the board. Check out the Download Depot, and use the following tips for creating charts and graphs: Use clusters to activate comparative thinking. Use pie charts to show a relationship to the whole. Use diagrams to show growth and structure. Use grids to show quantities and combinations.

Download your free Charts and Graphs today!

More on Creating Charts and Graphs (Friday)
Here are more tips for creating charts and graphs: Lists get ideas flowing and show how-to steps. Numbers set up a hierarchy structure. Bullets show equal relationships. Storyboards show development and movement. Bar charts demonstrate the amounts of given values and the relationships between these values. Gantt charts or time lines display activities, duration, and paths over a period of time. Flow charts show a process.



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