The 5th Week

Its a new week again, and this week the focus is on teaching aids. First we were divided into pairs and each pair is given 3 topics each. Based on the topics given, we were required to come out with teaching aids that are appropriate to be used for that particular topic and year. So here are my say on teaching aids.

Various teaching aids can be used in the ESL classroom. Teaching aids help to attract the students' interest as well as attention. This will enable the teaching and learning process to be held in a fun and interesting environment. Besides, it actually suits all type of learning styles. For example for visual learner we can use video and pictures, as for audio learners we can use song and we can use action song for kinesthetic learners. We can see that teaching aids are definitely helpful in helping students to understand better on the particular topic or lesson. When students are interested in following the lesson, they will be able to acquire the knowledge easily. In other words, teaching aids are essential in helping the students to gain knowledge in a fun and interesting way.

The topics which were assigned to my partner and I are

Year 1, Unit 2 - Making Friends

Year 2, Unit 2, My School

Year 3, Unit 3, My Neighbourhood

1) Making Friends

For this topic, we decided to use colourful pictures, interesting video, fantastic story and cute stick puppets to teach the lesson. With the implementation of these teaching aids, pupils will be attracted to the teaching and learning process. Therefore, they can focus in the lesson thus learn knowledge during the lesson. Besides, the pupils can also learn the moral values integrated in the story.

2) My School

In this topic, we use pictures, power point slides, smartboard and poem. Here, we included Smartboard as one of the teaching aids as I think that pupils are still new to smartboard and I want to provide them the chance to explore it. I had designed a game and it will be projected onto Smartboard. Pupils are required to use the pen on the smartboard to complete the maze. This is a technology based activity and the pupils will definitely enjoy it.

3) My Neighbourhood

For this topic, we had chosen video, power point slides and story. The video shown to the children consists of various places in a neigbourhood. This acts a tool to activate the pupils' schemata as they can link it to the places in their neighbourhood. After that, teacher can ask the pupils to describe their neighbourhood by asking them to draw in "Tux Paint". They have to explain to their friends the places or things that can be found in their neighbourhood.

-teaching aids are definitely teachers' best friend-