Teaching aids assist students in learning. These aids consist of video, audio and hands-on tools to help involve the students and enhance the learning experience.
Students tend to get more involved when learning if teaching aids are implemented into the curriculum. Hands-on aids, such as computers, maps and other tools that require some sort of interaction from the students, have the highest levels of effectiveness.
The tools are designed to involve the students, promote interaction, and promote faster learning and better comprehension. Being able to see, hear or get involved in a topic creates a much better method for learning.
How a teacher chooses to use learning aids in a classroom can vary dramatically. The main factor in the effective use of teaching aids is that a skilled teacher is behind the tools being used.
Need of Teaching Aids
1) Every individual has the tendency to forget. Proper use of teaching aids helps to retain more concept permanently.
2) Students can learn better when they are motivated properly through different teaching aids.
3) Teaching aids develop the proper image when the students see, hear taste and smell properly.
4) Teaching aids provide complete example for conceptual thinking.
5) The teaching aids create the environment of interest for the students.
6) Teaching aids helps to increase the vocabulary of the students.
7) Teaching aids helps the teacher to get sometime and make learning permanent.
8) Teaching aids provide direct experience to the students.
The teaching aids used in the teaching can be classified into the following ways:
- Traditional Aids: Blackboard/chalkboard, books, periodicals.
- Visual Aids: Objects, picture, map, figure, chart, posters, model, bulletin board, flannel board, globe, graph or any other type of graphics such as| diagrams, cut-outs, cartoons, etc.
- Mechanical Aids:
- Audio: Radio, tape recorder, teaching machine.
- Visual: Projector, epidiascope, film strips, motion picture, etc.
- Audio-Visual: Films, television, video, cassettes, etc. Visual Material Aids: Use of Chart: The most commonly used types of charts include outline charts, tabular charts, flow charts and organization charts. Flip charts and flow charts are also being used.
Types of Teaching Aids
There are many aids available these days. We may classify these aids as follows-
1) Visual Aids: The aids which use sense of vision are called Visual aids. For example :- actual objects, models, pictures, charts, maps, flash cards, flannel board, bulletin board, chalkboard, overhead projector, slides etc. Out of these black board and chalk are the commonest ones.
2) Audio Aids: The aids that involve the sense of hearing are called Audio aids. For example :- radio, tape recorder, gramophone etc.
3) Audio – Visual Aids: The aids which involve the sense of vision as well as hearing are called Audio- Visual aids. For example :- television, film projector, film strips etc.
Importance of Teaching aids
Teaching aids are important because they create a visual and interactive experience for the students. As the students become more engaged, they are more likely to understand the topic being taught.
Teaching aids play an very important role in Teaching- Learning process. Importance of Teaching aids are as follows :-
1) Motivation: Teaching aids motivate the students so that they can learn better.
2) Clarification: Through teaching aids , the teacher clarify the subject matter more easily.
3) Discouragement of Cramming: Teaching aids can facilitate the proper understanding to the students which discourage the act of cramming.
4) Increase the Vocabulary: Teaching aids helps to increase the vocabulary of the students more effectively.
5) Saves Time and Money
6) Classroom Live and active: Teaching aids make the classroom live and active.
7) Avoids Dullness
8) Direct Experience: Teaching aids provide direct experience to the students