Effective Use of
Teaching Aids
Take from DCU:
http://www.dcu.ie
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Why use teaching aids?
Teaching aids are useful to:
 reinforce what you are saying,
 ensure that your point is understood,
 signal what is important/essential,
 enable students to visualise or experience something
that is impractical to see or do in real life,
 engage students’ other senses in the learning process,
 facilitate different learning styles.
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We Learn and Retain:
10% of what we READ
20% of what we HEAR
30% of what we SEE
50% of what we HEAR and SEE
Higher levels of retention can be achieved
through active involvement in learning.
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WHITE-/BLACKBOARD
Advantages
Disadvantages
 No advanced preparation
required,
 except when displaying a
complex table/chart/ diagram.
 Technology is not dependent
on electricity or other possible
glitches.
 Can be used by students for
problem-solving, etc.
 Time-consuming if you have a
lot to write.
 Handwriting may be difficult to
read (legibility, size, glare,
etc.).
 Turn your back on audience.
 Cleaning the board (chalk
dust, permanent marker, etc.)
 Can’t go back to something
you’ve erased.
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WHITE-/BLACKBOARD
TIPS
 Get to the lecture hall early to make sure that the board
has been cleaned.
 Bring your own chalk/markers and eraser.
 If you have problems with keeping your writing level,
draw horizontal lines in advance using a pencil and
metre stick.
 Draw complex diagrams, charts, etc. in advance and
cover with a piece of newsprint until needed.
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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
Advantages
Disadvantages
 Allows you to prepare all your
slides in advance.
 Particularly suited for complex
diagrams, charts and
illustrations.
 Can build up information
point-by-point through the use
of overlays.
 Don’t have to turn your back
on the audience.
 A blown bulb or power failure
can spoil all your hard work.
 Image quality can also be a
problem.
 Can be disorienting to
manipulate transparencies on
projector plate.
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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
Preparing Transparencies
 By hand, or
 Computer application (eg. MS PowerPoint, MS Word,
HTML documents)
 Printing - colour or B/W
 Printer (laser or inkjet), or
 Photocopier
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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
Selecting Text
 Avoid overcrowding
 Avoid continuous prose
 Bullet or numbered points preferred
 KILLS
Keep It Legible, Lean and Simple
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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
Keep words to a minimum:
Please observe the rules
prohibiting the
combustion of vegetable
material and the
exhalation of noxious
fumes in this auditorium.
NO SMOKING
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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
1st Qtr.
2ndavoided:
Qtr. 3rd Qtr.
Tables are
best
East
West
North
20.4
30.6
45.9
27.4
38.6
46.8
90.0
34.7
45.0
4th Qtr.
20.4
31.5
43.9
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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
Use Charts/Graphs instead:
200
150
North
100
West
50
East
0
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
Choosing a Font
Examples:
 Size - minimum 20pt
(5mm high)

14 pt Tahoma
 20 pt Tahoma
28 pt Tahoma
36 pt Tahoma
 Sans serif fonts preferred
 Times New Roman
 Arial
 Comic Sans
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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
Style Notes for Transparencies
 Allow a margin of 5 cm (2”) all round.
 Avoid TOO MUCH UPPERCASE TEXT
 For emphasis, use bold or underlining instead of italics
 Keep titles systematic and consistent
 Justification - left or centred
 Avoid light text on dark background.
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OVERHEAD PROJECTOR
Beforehand
During the Lecture
 Get to the room early to
make sure the OHP is
working.
 Check the aim and focus.
 Walk to the back of the
room to see whether the
smallest print is readable.
 Relax (if possible).
 Keep used and unused
slides in separate piles.
 Cover the slide with a
piece of cardboard and
slide it down to reveal
text as you go.
 Use a pen on the OHP
glass rather than pointing
to the screen.
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DATA PROJECTOR (portable)
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Other Media
FLIPCHART
When to USE:
TIPS
 if electricity is
unavailable,
 to enable students
to illustrate group
reports,
 to provide a
written record of
points made by
students.
 Check the room and
equipment beforehand.
 Get your own pad of
newsprint.
 Write out important pages in
advance.
 Don’t put too much on a page.
 Carry a collection of felt-tip
pens and check that they
haven’t dried out.
 Bring along some Blutack.
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Other Media
AUDIO TAPES or CDs
When to USE:
TIPS
 Particularly suited for language
learning, media studies,
English literature, etc.
 Valuable when referring to
recorded historical events (e.g.
Martin Luther King’s “I have a
dream” speech).
 Background music can also be
played before class starts and
during group activities.
 Check the room and
equipment beforehand.
 Can it be heard from the back
of the room?
 Find the right spot on the
tape/CD and queue it up in
advance.
 Don’t play more than a few
minutes of audio at one time.
 Break up longer clips into
segments, interspersed with
discussion or other activities.
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Other Media
VIDEO TAPES or DVDs
When to USE:
TIPS
 Adds a dimension not available
through audio alone - helps
students to visualise.
 Essential when illustrating
things that are impractical to
do in real life.
 Particularly suited for language
learning, media studies,
engineering, etc.
 Valuable when referring to
recorded historical events.
Same as for CDs/audio tapes
 Check equipment beforehand.
 Can images be seen from the
back of the room?
 Queue up the tape in advance.
 Break viewing into short
segments, interspersed with
discussion or activities.
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