Using the OHP
Of all the technological resources that are available to teachers, in my
opinion, the one which is the most underused and sometimes misused is
the OHP, or overhead projector.
In this article I'm going to try to give guidance and ideas for exploiting the
OHP and look at:
e What an OHP is
« The advantages of using an OHP.
« Techniques
e Some dos and don'ts
e Conclusion
What is the OHP?
The OHP is a small machine designed to project an image onto a small
screen or whiteboard. If you have a screen, which can be placed above the
whiteboard and pulled down accordingly, it will stop the glare. The
materials we normally use with it are pens, which can either be permanent,
or cleanable. In addition to these there are transparencies (OHT), which
you can write or draw on, and a special type of transparency which a text
or image can be photocopied onto.The advantages of using an OHP
Obviously the OHP, being economically and ecologically sound, can
dramatically reduce the amount of paper used for photocopies: anything
that can be photocopied can also be photocopied onto an OHT.
« Then again, if you want to give your students a record of the lesson, you
can give them a photocopied paper version later.
If you use an OHP you are effectively telling your students that your
lesson has been well prepared and not something you thought of just
before class.
- Your students can prepare visual stimuli themselves for presentations or
class talks, or work together on separate strips of an OHT to put
together an article or story, giving them a sense of achievement.
« You can photocopy a student's work or a model composition onto an
OHT and discuss its merits with your class. Similarly you can quickly
present the answers to an exercise or a text which has been dictated for
students to compare with their own, just as you can project the tape
script after a listening exercise to point out anything of note such as new
vocabulary to your students.
« The OHP also accommodates different learning styles and multiple
intelligences as you can use colour for the text or drawings. Not only are
colours and shapes attractive but they will appeal to and help your more
visual learners and those who have a higher visual or spatial intelligence.
« There is lots of material that can be used for expressive speaking
activities, such as photos, cartoons, maps, charts and diagrams, and of
course you can make your own pro-forma game board of your favourite
game or even TV quiz show.
« The OHP minimizes the time the teacher spends writing on the board,
with his or her back to the class. You have, therefore, simultaneous
control over your class and your materials. Materials can be prepared in
advance but the teacher can also make additions. If you are bad at
drawing it gives you the opportunity to prepare your picture: ‘Here’s one
| made earlier’ solves your problem when your students can’t recognise
what you are trying to draw. On the other hand pictures drawn
spontaneously can of course be kept and used in later lessons. Again,
students like this because it is something they have helped to create.
You also have more control over the presentation of a text or an image
since you can choose to modify it by masking or revealing parts of it.
The OHP also allows the teacher to make a text or picture instantly
available to the whole class. Finally, it offers variety and can be used to
change the pace at any point in the lesson, aiding concentration and
providing a useful role in discussions, role-plays and many other pair,
group or whole class activities.Techniques
« Use progressive disclosure technique: mask what the students don't
need to see, in order to focus and control their attention and get them to
speculate on what they can see or predict the content of the parts they
can't. Adapt your course book in this way to make it more interesting.
Alternatively use silhouetted pictures or show them out of focus, or even
small pictures of items in one vocabulary field (e.g. clothes) which can be
thrown casually on top of each other and ask the students to call out
what they can see. Memory activities can also be employed if you show
them a picture and then ask them to describe what they saw or what was
happening, or show them another which is similar but ask them to
describe the changes.
Use the tip of the pen to isolate or emphasise points, as well as to draw
or write on the transparency. You can also cut the transparencies into
strips to produce movable pictures. In other words the strips can be put
together to form a story, or moved around to change the sequence and
your students discuss the order.
Additionally, the teacher can use overlays or different OHTs to build up a
text or an image. Each part of a diagram or chart can also be ‘hinged’
with tape to others, like a book. If you do this the transparencies have to
be presented in the same order. However, if they are ‘hinged’ alternately
‘on either side you can change the sequence.
Some dos and don'ts
+ Do you know how to work an OHP? Of course you need to find out how
to turn it on and off, where the most appropriate mains socket is, and
where the best place to put it is. You don’t want yourself or the students
to be falling over the leads.
« As well as thinking about where to put the OHP, think about where you're
standing. Can everyone see clearly or are you blocking the students’
view? And don’t forget to make sure you know which way to put the
transparency, and how to focus the image.
+ OHPs are expensive, and also bulky and breakable so don't let children
play with them. Set them up at the beginning of a lesson and put them
away when you've finished. Also think about giving instructions before
switching on the OHP, as otherwise you may find the students are
engrossed in what’s on the screen/board and not listening to you.
« Tell students exactly what's required of them, i.e. when to copy and
whether to take notes or not, or if you will be giving them a handout
later. Keep things simple: don’t make things too complicated for the
students to understand.
+ Don't look directly at the light, as it will quite literally dazzle you. Finally,
don't forget to switch the machine off when it’s not in use, firstly to save
electricity and secondly to make the students focus on what they are
supposed to be concentrating on.Conclusion
The OHP is extremely practical and versatile as every classroom activity
can be adapted for the OHP and even the worst technophobe can use it
with confidence. Allowing you to have complete control of the class and
holding your students’ attention, it is a useful tool for any teacher or
indeed worthwhile purchase for any school which doesn’t have one.
Finally, as global warming threatens to devastate our world, using the OHP
can play more than a small part in saving paper, therefore trees, and the
environment.
If you have any suggestions or tips for using OHPs in the class you would
like to share on this site, contact us.
Alan Finch, British Council Paris20+ LIGHT TABLE ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOL
posted by Fulitor | filed under Lesson Plans, I
‘The light table can be a fun addition to the preschool classroom. You can use
it to build skills and develop concepts in many different ways. Maybe you have
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learning at your light table. Whether you are a light table newbie or a pro, you
can find something here to jumpstart learning with light table activities.Using a Light Table in Preschool
There are so many ways to incorporate a light table in your classroom. Light
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Fools and Toys for the Light Table (Pre-K Pages) ~ The light table has
quickly become one of the most popular “must-have” centers in today’s
preschool classrooms. But what do kids do with a light table?
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