GRAPHICAL AIDS

Introduction.

Graphic aids are also called as “Visual Aids”. Graphics can be functional or artistic. It is
help us to show and compare information. Graphic aids provide visual explanations of
concepts and relationship. It enables learners to understand better than words alone. Authors
mention graphic aids at a point in which they think the graph will help the reader.Graphic
aids are charts, diagrams, graphs, flashcards, posters,pictures, photographs, leaflets, folders,
pamphlets, cartoons and comics.Graphic aids can serve many educational objectives for
groupteaching of 20-30 students.

Vacca and Vacca (1993) believe that the use of graphic aids in text will:

 Provide students with the opportunity to decide what parts of the text are important.
 How ideas and concepts in the text are related.
 It often enhance information from the text and sometimes supply information not
found in the text.

Meaning. The word graphics is drived from the Greek word graphikos that means visual
presentations on some surface such as a wall, canavas, computer screen, paper, illustrate or
entertain.

Definition.

 Visual aids are those sensory objects or images which initiate or stimulate and
reinforce learning. (Burton)
 A visual or graphic aid is any image that assists you, the reader, in understanding the
text which accompanies the visual aid.
 Graphic teaching aids are the illustrative instructional material depicted on a two-
dimensional surface combining drawings, pictures, paintings and words.
 Graphic aids is a combination of graphic and pictorial material designed for the
orderly and logical visualizing of relationships between key facts and ideas.

Purpose.

 To keep the audience’s attention.

 To reinforce the understanding.
 To communicate special concepts.
 To highlight specific points.
 To provide structure and order.
 To conveying information in a condensed form.
 To presenting information effectively.
 To stimulate interest.
Characteristics.

 It should be large enough to be clearly visible to the entire group.

 Avoid unnecessary decoration.
 The important parts should be accentuated by use of effects such as bright colour.
 It should show workmanship and careful development.
 It should explain a abstract ideas, show a relationship or present a sequence of
procedure that cannot be clarified without it.
 It should be displayed properly.
 Avoid to much writing and the writing should be within the comprehension of the
learners.
 It should be meaninful.
 It should be Purposeful.

Graphic Aids include following:

A) CHART

 Chart is defined as a visual symbol summarizing, comparing, contrasting or

performing other helpful services in explaining the subject matter. It is meant to
depicit pictorial and written information in a systematic way by effective arrangement
of key facts.
 A chart is a combination of pictorial, graphic, numerical or vertical material, which
presents a clear summary.
 Chart is defined as a visual aid which depicts pictorial and written key information in
systematic way to summarize, compare, e.g., anatomical charts and figure, diagrams
etc.

B) POSTER

 A poster is an informational or educational tool with which we can reach many people
in many locations. It is a visual combination of an illustration of message conveyed to
people.
 Posters are the graphic aids with quick and typical messages with attention capturing
paintings.
 A poster is a pictorial device to attract attention and commuicate a story , a fact or an
image rapidly and clearly.

C) FLASH CARDS

 Flash cards are a set of pictured compact paper cards of varying sizes that are flashed
one by one in a logical sequence.
 Flash cards can be self made or commercially prepared and are made up of chart or
drawing paper, plain paper using colors or ink on them for drawings.
 Flash cards are smell cards of generally 25-30 cm size which are shown for few
moments before the class to send across a message or impart an idea.
D) GRAPHS

Graphs are the visual teaching aids for presenting statistical data and contrasting the trends or
changes of certain attributes.

Graphs are illustrations to present numerical and statistical data using dots, lines, shapes,
colours and pictures.

E) CARTOONS

The word cartoon has various meaning based on several very different forms of visual art and
illustration. The original meaning was in fine art and there cartoon meant a preparatory
drawing for a piece of art such as painting.

Advantages:

o Improves audience understanding and memory.

o Serve as notes.
o Provides clear organisation.
o Facilitate more eye contact and motion by the speaker.
o Easy to follow.
o Simple presentation.
o Get the attention of the participants.
o Inexpensive to make and update.
o Save energy of instructor.
o Participants feel more engaged.
o Easy to remember.
o Helps keep mistakes minimum.
o Can be used without electricity.
o Convey messages quickly.
o Appropriate for those with low budget.
o Provides lots of informations at single time.
o Helpful for visual learner.

Disadvantages

o Not used for large group.

o Visual aids are mode of distration if used throughout the entire presentation versus
during key points.
o Chances to loose focus.
o It requires well designed presentation or material.
o Complex presentation.
o Time consuming.
o The needs of reader’s own knowledge to interpret all the information.
o Not helpful for visual disable persons.