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 3
This week’s teaching tips focus on using physical objects and pictorial reproductions for visual aids. For example, always match your lectures with visual aids that are appropriate for the material you are teaching. If you’re teaching a course on architecture, it may not be possible to present a physical building, but you can show a pictorial reproduction.

This Week's Tips

Using Physical Objects as Visual Aids (Monday)
Physical objects help you demonstrate tactically. If you are teaching a pre-med course about the heart, you might use a plastic reproduction of the heart. If you’re teaching golf, you might want to use actual golf clubs and balls. Try these tips for effective use of physical objects: Make sure the objects support your material. Make sure the whole class can see each object. Pass around only objects that students need to handle.

Using Pictorial Reproductions (Tuesday)
You can use pictorial reproductions, including photographs and sketches, to help students see people, places, and different items. To use pictorial reproductions effectively, follow these guidelines: While talking, hold each reproduction and walk into the rows and around the room, so all students can see even smaller reproductions. Be aware that as students are looking at pictures, you have momentarily lost their attention. Repeat any information given while showing pictures.

Keep the Attention on You (Wednesday)
When passing out pictorial reproductions, or physical objects, you need to keep students’ attention on you. Here are a few tips: If you want students to study handouts or objects before or at the beginning of class, pass out the handouts or objects before class. If you want students to pay attention to handouts or objects during your lecture, then pass out the handouts or objects during your lecture.

More Ways to Keep Students' Attention Directed at You (Thursday)
Most handouts are distributed near the end of class as support or reference material. To keep students' attention directed at you while you are speaking, tell students you have samples or handouts that they can pick up after class. Avoid large packets of handouts. They overwhelm students and are perceived as quantity rather than quality. Make sure your handouts are legible, simple, and written with clarity.

Choosing and Designing Visual Aids (Friday)
To receive feedback from your students on the effectiveness of your visual aids, have them fill out the feedback form in this week’s Download Depot. Also, be sure to create visuals that enhance your course material. Use visuals to provide information beyond what you say and to maintain the interest level of your students.

Download your free Visual Aid Feedback today!




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