The use of various "props" can be effective in a number of ways: as a means of promoting conversation, as a visual tool for helping students learn grammar points, as a way of involving other, less analytical brain functions and as a means of arousing student interest and involvement in class activities. In this feature, I would like to discuss the use of a number of these objects in the ESL - EFL classroom.
First of all, here is a list of various objects that I have found useful:
- Personal Photographs
- Colored Chalk or Markers
- Building Blocks
- Tape or Video Recorders
- Hand-Puppets
- Paintings and Photographs
The use of these objects is very diverse and often depends on the teaching techniques and styles being used, as well as class composition and age. However, many of the uses discussed below can be used in a variety of teaching environments.
Personal Photographs
Using student's personal photographs is a great way of involving them emotionally in any lesson. By asking them to describe a personal photo, the teacher is giving the student the opportunity to make an emotional and physical connection to what he or she is describing. Students generally enjoy this activity, as it lets them speak about something that is important to them. It also gives them an opportunity to speak about something they know well - thus building confidence in their own speaking abilities.
Grammatically, photographs can be used to practice a number of structures:
- Present Continuous - what are the people in the photo doing?
- Present Perfect - what have the people in the picture done since the photo was taken?
- Past Forms - what happened the day the photo was taken?
- Descriptive Adjectives - describing the people and/or places in the photographs.
Colored Chalk or Markers
Using colored chalk or markers helps students associate certain colors with certain tenses, structures or functions. The most important point to remember when using colored chalk or markers is to be consistent. If you use green for the simple past, always use green for the simple past. This simple technique is quite effective as it helps students associate grammar with visual references.
Building Blocks
The use of building blocks is a great tool for combining physical actions with verbal production. This kinesthetic relationship linking ideas and descriptions to physical movement and structure literally helps students "construct" their use of the language. Some ideas for using building blocks:
- Ask students to describe where they live using building blocks to signify various rooms, houses, streets etc.
- Have students tell each other stories using the building blocks to signify various events in the story. In this way, they can continually refer to the building blocks as the stories become more complex.
- When working on process description, have students use the building blocks to represent process flow.
- Use multi colored building blocks to improve grammar skills. Students use specific colors when specific structures are required (this is similar to the use of colored chalk or markers).
