Tape and Video Recorders
Tape and video recorders are traditionally used to present listening and/or visual learning materials to students. However, tape and video recorders are also wonderful props that help students become more playful with the learning process and involve them at a deeper level. Here are a few suggestions for using either a tape or video player/recorder:
- Have students record their conversations. The feedback involved is invaluable - and often more effective than simple teacher correction. Students are surprisingly quick to catch their own mistakes in pronunciation and grammar when listening to themselves on tape.
- Have students practice and prepare a presentation or dialogue for a video or tape recorder. Students preparing materials for a finished "project" tend to be very involved in that project. This involvement contributes to effective "long-term" learning.
- Videotape important presentations. The best example of this is a tape of a job interview. This can be a bit painful for shy students, but the learning that accomplished is impressive.
Hand Puppets
Puppets are a wonderful tool for freeing up students' imagination and language use. Teachers can use puppets to tell stories which are visually more engaging thus involving students on a number of levels. Students who use hand puppets to tell stories free themselves from what they are saying. It becomes "the puppet", and not themselves, who speaks. Admittedly, the use of puppets can be a bit intimidating the first few times - especially for adult learners. However, the effort is well worth it. The playfulness brought into the classroom through the puppets can really liven up the learning experience.
Paintings or Photographs
As is the case with personal photographs, the use of paintings and photographs helps to introduce vocabulary and interpretive skills into the classroom while engaging the students on a visual level. The amount of imagination required to interpret paintings and photographs guarantees effective learning. Students are forced to make new connections that are out of the ordinary. In fact, I especially enjoy using modern paintings as students are forced to interpret the paintings and really push their linguistic envelope.
The objects discussed in this feature are some of the more common "props" used by teachers in an ESL/EFL classroom. Most importantly, the use of various objects helps students learn by involving a number of senses and brain functions in the learning process. Perhaps more importantly, the use of "props" helps make the learning experience more enjoyable and thus more effective in the long run.
