Using teaching aids in an english classroom

Some common teaching aids used in english classes 2.3.3.. Teaching aids can be used in almost every English lesson such as : teaching vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, listening or sp

1 INTRODUCTION

1.2 Reasons for choosing the research

1.2Aims of the research

1.3 Scope, object and researching method

2 MAIN CONTENT

2.1.Theoretic basis of the problem

2.2.Realistic basic of the problem

2.3.Solutions to the problem

2.3.1 General introduction

2.3.1.1 What are taching aids

2.3.1.2 Types of teaching aids

2.3.1.3 Main advantages and disadvantages

2.3.1.4 Some principles of using teaching aids

2.3.2 Some common teaching aids used in english classes

2.3.3 Some examples of using teaching aids in english lessons

2.3.31 Teaching pronunciation

2.3.3.2 Teaching vocabulary

2.3.3.3 Teaching writing skill

2.3.4 An English lesson using teaching aids

2.4 Result after applying the research in teaching

3 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

3.1 General overview and enhancement of the study

3.2 Recommendations

REFERENCES

1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 7 7 8 10 11 16 17 17 17 18

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Reasons for choosing the research

Teaching is a challenging job, whether you are in charge of a traditional publicschool classroom or tutoring a single child in a language Fortunately, there are many aids and accessories available to make the job easier and more effective Teaching aids can be used in almost every English lesson such as : teaching vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, listening or speaking There are some reasons that we should use teaching aids in our English teaching lessons Teaching aids are useful to reinforce what you are saying and summarize key concepts, ensure that your point is understood, signal what is important/essential, enable students to visualize or experience something that is impractical to see or do in real life,

engage or stimulate students’ other senses in the learning process, facilitate

different learning styles Using teaching aids as tools in the language classroom is highly beneficial for students and enhanced the learning process It helps to

motivate students and makes them more intersted in English For these reasons, it’simportant and necessary that teaching aids should be included in the lessons

1.2 Aims of the research

- To introduce some common teaching aids used in English

- To show how to use teaching aids effectively

- To help teachers save their time but still have an effective lessons

- To motivate students to learn English

1.3 Scope, object and researching method

1.3.1 Scope : Researching in the process of teaching English at Tran An Chiem

high school

1.3.2 Object: This subject is concerned with providing some types of teaching aids

and ways of using teaching aids in the classroom

1.3.3 Researching method: Multi-methods are integrated to conduct this research,

including mainly methods of observation and analysis Beside, the research isundertaken as a result of the reality of the long-time process of my daily teaching atschool

2 MAIN CONTENT 2.1 Theoretic basis of the problem

Most of the language teachers seem to agree that the use of teaching aids can enhance language teaching As they help teachers to bring the real world into the classroom, they make learning more meaningful and more exciting Teaching aids have been an important component of the language classes over the years They have been considered a useful tool for teachers in almost every trend of second language teaching Apart from being an excellent tool to improve the language acquisition, the use of teaching aids in the classroom provides a more meaningful context for the students All these factors lead students to become more

participative and communicative members of the class group

Teaching aids can be used in speaking, listening, and writing skills as well as grammar and pronunciation lessons Things become easier with the help of

teaching aids Now that students have every interest in English lessons, they will be

completely ralaxing when learning English I hope my following research will be

helpful and effective to English teachers

2.2 Realistic basic of the problem

In reality, most students find it difficult to learn English As a result, they

become passive and afraid to learn it Some other students feel a little bored with English classes because they have to remember vocabularies or structures

mechanically

Most students at Tran An Chiem High school have a low starting point with the average entrance score of English is about 3 points or abit lower Therefore,

learning English for them is really a challenging

Using teaching aids in English classes is an effective solution to motivate

students, to make them interested in the lessons and to love English

2.3 Solutions to the problem

2.3.1 General introduction

2.3.1.1 What are taching aids

Teaching aid, as its name suggests, is a kind of aids which support theteaching and learning activities of teachers and students While the websitehttp://www.thefreedictionary.com/teaching+aid defined teaching aids as “materialsand equipments used in teaching”, the other one named

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/teaching%20aid considered teaching aid as

a kind of “material used by the teacher to supplement classroom instruction or to

stimulate the interest of students” To put it more specific, a teaching aid is a “toolused by teachers, facilitators, or tutors to help learners improve reading and otherskills; illustrate or reinforce a skill, fact, or idea; and relieve anxiety, fears, orboredom, since many teaching aids are like games.”

(http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/Literacy/ReferenceMaterials/GlossaryOfLiteracyTerms/WhatIsATeachingAid.htm)

In short, teaching aids are the useful materials and equipments which help create motivation for teaching and learning environment

2.3.1.2 Types of teaching aids

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (N.C.E.R.T.) have classified various aids as follows:

- Three Dimensional Aids

They are: Models, Objects, Specimens, Puppets and Mobiles

- Project Aids: Films, Films Strips, and Slides

- Audio-Aids: Radio, Television (TV), and Recording.

- Activity Aids: Field trips, Demonstration, and Dramatics.

2.3.1.3 Main advantages and disadvantages

a Advantages

- Teaching aids are helpful in attracting attention of the students

- Teaching aids saves time and energy

- Teaching aids helps the teacher to create situations for teaching the beginners

- Teaching aids enable the children to retain language items for a longer time

- Teaching aids gives vividness to the learning situation

- Teaching aids makes the abstract ideas concrete and thus help in making learningmore effective

- Teaching aids help in the development of various skills such as, how to draw adiagram of the topic among the students

b Disadvantages

- Take time to prepare

- Accidental troubles can spoil all the hard work

- Can be noisy

- Distract learners from the main focus of the lesson

2.3.1.4 Some principles of using teaching aids

Teaching Aids must be:

- Consistent with local protocols

2.3.2 Some common teaching aids used in english classes

2.3.2.1 Chalk Board

Chalk Board is one of the most essential equipment of the class room and it is an indispensable aid for the teacher Chalk Board is a symbol of class room and is a never failing friend of a teacher

- It helps the teacher to draw and hold the attention of the students while the teacher is explaining a concept on the board

- The important points or the various steps the teacher writes on the board or the various sketches the teacher draw on the board in explaining a concept will help the students to correlate in a systematic way aid in better understanding of the topic

- Chalk Board teaching will allow more interaction between students and teacher which will help in active as well as effective learning of the concepts by the

student

- Chalk Board teaching uses the oral and visual senses which aid in effective

learning of the students

2.3.2.2 Flash Cards

They are generally used by teachers to teach lower and upper primary classes

To teach English, a flash card with a picture on one side and its name on the other

side will be used This type of flash cards will be used to identify the picture,

alphabets and vocabulary in English language This type of Flash Cards can be made by teacher himself or will be available in the market

2.3.2.3 Power point presentations

A teacher can prepare Power point presentation on any topic in the form of slides incorporating with graphics and sounds The topic has to be designed in such

a way that the slides display one by one on the screen The teacher can explain the topic by showing slide by slide projected on the overhead screen

One disadvantage with this teaching aid is if the presentation is not so much attractive it becomes a failure This type of method can be advisable to use only at higher studies like Degree collages, Universities and in professional courses

2.3.2.4 Colored chalk

Used to teach word order, to differentiate between speakers in a dialogue, and

to illustrate question and answer format; When working with adult learners, even ifyou use a textbook, you should consider a range of teaching aids to supplement thework from the text This range will help you to address the varying learning styles and modalities of the learners and also, especially in the case of authentic material, help prepare them for communication in the real world

2.3.2.5 Realia

The use of realia is only limited by your imagination and possibly practicality too Using realia stimulates the mind, and makes the vocabulary more memorable than a picture would Students can, touch , smell, and with a food item, taste it Realia saves time, as recognition of an object is often immediate; elicitation of vocabulary becomes much easier as simply holding up the object with a raised eyebrow, will usually result in the desired word being spoken

Realia breathes life into new vocabulary, and the chances of your students remembering the new words you have taught them, increases Take the word,

biscuit: the probability of remembering the word becomes much higher after

experiencing the taste, touch and smell of the object Realia does not have to be limited to food or drink Timetables, tickets, newspapers, and clothes may all be used to help breathe life into lessons, and help provide interest

2.3.2.6 Pictures or photographs: personal, magazine, and others;

Pictures are one of effective aids in teaching vocabulary They bring “images of reality into the unnatural world of the language classroom.” (Hill 1990: 1) Pictures

bring not only images of reality, but can also function as a fun element in the class Sometimes it is surprising, how pictures may change a lesson, even if only

employed in additional exercises or just to create the atmosphere

2.3.2.7 Miming

Mime is useful for the explanation of vocabularies Such concepts as jumping, running or the words from, in, under etc are items easy to explain through

performing those actions

Mime can be great fun for learners as well Liliane Bois-Simon (1978: 64-67), who describes mime, its importance for language learning and how to use it

effectively, asserts that “mime is used mostly by the teacher who has a deliberate purpose in mind and wants the students to use a particular word or structure

2.3.2.8 Tape recorder and cassette tapes

Studies have shown that some students do not have a long attention span in the classroom Tapes in the classroom enable teachers to constantly shift the attention

of the students and hopefully work with the students' short attention spans Tapes also allow teachers to take a backseat and not be the focus of the lesson Whether using prerecorded activities or recordings in the classroom, tapes provide teachers

a long and varied list of activities for their classroom The tapes can even be used

in a school or classroom time capsule Recorded stories are especially beneficial in younger classrooms to help students read

2.3.2.9.Mindmap

A mind map, or spidergram, is a strategy for making notes on a topic, prior to writing It is a structured strategy, which shows the (hierarchical) relationship of ideas, as opposed to an unstructured strategy, such as brainstorming, in which students produce notes at random on paper

Making a mind map should be a spontaneous pre-writing activity Students start with a topic at the centre and then generate a web of ideas from that, developing and relating these ideas as their mind makes associations

Mind maps work well as their visual design enables students to see the relationship between ideas, and encourages them to group certain ideas together as they

proceed Mind maps work especially well when created in groups, since the

discussion this engenders aids the production of ideas, and makes the task livelier and more enjoyable

2.3.2.10 Games such as bingo and concentration: commercial or

teacher-made;

Games are often used as short warm-up activities or when there is some time left at the end of a lesson Using games is one effective and interesting way that can be applied in any classrooms especially English classrooms

Games help students to make and sustain the effort of learning.They provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, writing, listening and reading They also encourage students to interact and communicate and create a

meaningful context for language use.'

2.3.3 Some examples of using teaching aids in english lessons

2.3.3.1 Teaching pronunciation

Teaching pronunciation can be easier when using teaching aids In pronunciation lessons we can use pictures and audio files to help students pronounce easily

Below are some examples for illustration

Unit 1 English 10: Teaching vowels /i/ and / i:/

- Teaching aids 1 (Using pictures): Illustrative pictures of tongue positions and

lips postures when pronouncing /i/ and / i:/

- Teaching aid 2 (Using Tape recorder and cassette tapes): Native voice audio

file of /i/ and /i:/ pronunciation

Combining 2 types of above teaching aids, teachers can help students pronounce these sounds easily and correctly

2.3.3.2 Teaching vocabulary

Learners acquire vocabulary in various ways Students are exposed to a lot of

new vocabulary during lessons: by the teacher, by texts or other materials they work with A lot of this vocabulary is automatically absorbed

There are many possibilities how to explain or illustrate the meaning of the words In the first place, it is necessary to mention techniques typical for ‘Direct Method’ as Thornbury 2004) specifies them “using real objects (called realia) or pictures or mime.” (Thornbury 2004: 78)

* Using pictures

Example for illustration: English 10: Unit 1- Reading – vocabulary

- Vocabulary: buffalo, field, harrow, local tobacco

- illustrative pictures:

This is a buffalo The man is harrowing

Field Local tobacco

In this technique, teacher shows the pictures one by one and asks students:

- What does the word buffalo mean?

- What does the word harrow mean?

- What does the word field means?

- What does the phrase local tobacco mean?

By looking at the pictures, students can easily find out the meanings of these words and phrases

* Using realia

Example for illustration: English 10 Unit 5- Reading – vocabulary

- Vocabulary: + different parts of computer systems

+ request for leave

- Realia: keyboard, mouse, speaker, CPU, floppy disks CD Roms, VDU (we can use toy items instead of real items)