How schools can introduce new visual teaching methods
With technology progressing quickly, teachers have the opportunity to introduce much more innovative teaching techniques to broaden the mind. No longer are they stuck with simple workbooks and pens and paper – the possibilities are endless to help create a more engaging classroom atmosphere. Using visual aids can be a fantastic way of doing this.
Improve classroom results with pictures and images
People learn in different ways, and showing someone a picture or image of what you would like them to visualise can go a long way towards them understanding the concept a bit better. Rather than simply hearing teachers describe something, you can now show them. It will result in a deeper thinking of the subject matter and also encourage creativity. Studies show that it has been incredibly effective when learning English, and allows students to improve their vocabulary.
It will keep students interested and engaged
If a topic is a little dry, introducing graphs, photos, charts, etc., can help the students to get a little more excited about the project. If you are teaching History, for example, showing them a picture of a famous politician, explorer, or author could be exactly what’s needed to allow them to connect with that figure. It’s also an important teaching technique for children who perhaps have special needs. Children who are on the autism spectrum, for instance, can have trouble engaging in classroom lessons, and this is more likely to resonate with them.
Broaden the scope of what can be taught
There is only so much that you can teach a student simply by orally relaying information to them. Rather than simply telling students what something looks like, why not show them? If you are teaching Geography, for example, and want them to learn about a specific kind of rock, why not show them a replica to teach them about rock formations? If you are trying to teach them where a continent or country is, why not show them on an atlas or map?
Integrate technology when possible
As technology is developing, teachers should have a grip on it. They should be able to welcome this and use it to enhance the teaching experience. Videos, for example, are a great visual tool and are easy to make by yourself using a video maker. You can create some great animated videos using this, and there are lots of stock footage clips that can be used. It is also free for up to five video projects a month. Other ideas could be to use interactive whiteboards, where students can touch and move things around. PowerPoint is also eye-catching. Not only can you create presentations, but there are also lots of different animations and slide transition features that you can use.
Improving our teaching techniques as technology grows is incredibly important. Make sure that teachers are using all of the tools available for the best classroom results.
