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The proper use of various resources in the classroom can make teaching interesting and fun; and learning more effective. There are many resources that are likely to grab and keep the attention of students rather than sitting and reading from one form of hard copy during entire class session/s. Some of the resources that are helpful in the classroom are: black/white board, overhead projector, visual aids, computers, etc. The use of boards in the classroom can be very effective in holding students’ attention. They are also very easy to clean and use. When using a board to aid in teaching in the classroom, it is important for the writings on it to be legible and neat. Also, both the writings and the board must be big enough to allow students who are in the back of the class to read it easily. In addition, if an information is no longer needed, it needs to be erased in order to avoid confusion. Lastly, the teacher must ensure that the information on the board are organised, some may use columns to achieve such. An alternative for boards is the overhead projector. The overhead projector can improve learning in many ways. Due to how it is set up, it prevents teachers from turning their back to the class and it also reduces the amount of time it would have taken to write on a board. Moreover, this equipment can be used for various exercises such as, timed reading and gap fill exercises. Furthermore, OHTs (overhead transparencies) can be prepared in advanced, can model grammar, present vocabulary and can be saved and reused continuously. Visual aids can also be utilized to increase the effectiveness of lessons. There are many types of visual aids, the most common are real objects, pictures and photos. Visual aids do a really good job at grabbing students’ attention and keeping them alert. They reduce teacher talking time because they display denotations quickly and effectively when compared to verbal explanations. Moreover, visual aids can help with memory process, encourage discussion and can be used as prompts. A computer is also one of the devices that can aid in the improvement of learning and teaching of a foreign language. Computers have various programs and functions that can be quite beneficial when teaching. One such is Microsoft Word; this program enables teacher to put text and images together in an organised and legible manner, and the teacher can store them to later adapt or use again. A computer can also be useful in live teaching, especially when there is internet access for materials to be searched and found. In a way, computers make the world a “smaller place” as they contain apps that allow students from all over the world to communicate with each other in English. The computer allows easy access to videos on the internet or videos stored in an external device. It makes it possible to find videos to base an EFL around, to add variety to the class and make it more interesting. Computers can also be used to access podcasts, MP3s and audio clips, which can also be used to aid in teaching EFL lessons. The use of a computer allows access to numerous resources that can improve EFL lessons. Teachers must bear in mind that the over use of resources can reduce their effectiveness. Hence, they must be used correctly and at appropriate times.
