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Managing Equipment and Teaching Aids (46) There are many pieces of equipment that can be used in the class – textbooks, a whiteboard, overhead projectors, films, and many more. As stated in unit 17, there are certain uses for these pieces of equipment that increase their effectiveness and assist in the retention of material by students. Having graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Communication Studies, I spent a great deal of time in school studying various forms of communication as well as being subject to various teaching methods and tools. Some were successful while others failed; my experience as a student as well as what I have learned about these aids through this course has provided me with a great deal of insight on the subject. I have been taking language classes since the age of 12 – primarily in french. The most potent memory I have from one of my french classes happens to involve the misuse of a teaching aid – specifically a film. My teacher loved films, and because of this decided to broaden the limitations of our french foreign language course to include a critically acclaimed chinese film entirely in Mandarin. While I was happy to have english subtitles, I found the use of this film to be useless in terms of my ability to meet the objectives of this class – to eventually become fluent in the french language. Despite the fact that it succeeded in expanding my cultural horizons as a whole, it broke a tefl rule that has been repeated throughout this course: consistency. Not only was a chinese film in a french class confusing, but it disrupted the flow of the course and made the next lesson on french grammar more difficult. Careful consideration needs to be taken when using any teaching aids in the classroom; films need to be age and content appropriate, and fit in well with the material being learned. Although many teaching aids can be used for multiple purposes, each one has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, as stated in the material within this course, and through my experience in foreign language classrooms, worksheets are especially helpful when trying to verify students' understanding of the course material, to supplement information the textbook may be missing, and emphasize practice of the new language outside of school. Using visuals like pictures and flashcards are also exceptional aids when teaching and learning vocabulary – especially for younger learners, while textbooks also have amazing potential. In addition, course books can be a major resource for teachers that help structure lesson plans and fill in gaps for both students and teachers. They have their downfalls, however, in that teachers can rely on them too heavily and fail to supplement them with other materials where they may be weak. Examples of supplemental aids are resource books, primary materials like newspapers and magazines, and cassette tapes that allow students to hear the language they are learning aloud from someone other than the teacher. Managing equipment and teaching aids successfully revolves around understanding when and how they should be used. Each have an optimal time that they can be used, and it is important that teachers take the time to plan carefully. As seen through my own personal experiences, the careless use of aids as classroom filler or with little thought of its relation to course content can negatively effect student learning. It even has the potential to reduce your credibility as a teacher. When used properly, however, equipment and aids can enhance the language learning experience by making the classroom more fun and dynamic.
