ONLINE ASSIGNMENT

SUBMITTED BY

Ihsana K S

(Mathematics)

DATE: 3-2022
_______________________________________________________Different Types Of Learning Aids 1

EDU-05: PEDAGOGIC CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

ANALYSIS: MATHEMATICS

DIFFERENT TYPES OF
LEARNING AIDS
_______________________________________________________Different Types Of Learning Aids 2

Introduction 3

Audiovisual Aids to Mathematics Teaching 4

Need for Audiovisual Aids in Mathematics Teaching 4

Guidelines for Selection and Preparation of Audiovisual Aids 5

When to use Audiovisual Aids 6

Various Aids in Teaching Mathematics 6

Conclusion 14

References 14
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INTRODUCTION
Teaching aids are tools used to assist teachers to more productively manage
their learning environments and activities. Props are physical objects often used in
story telling or demonstration. Humans have been using teaching aids and props
since the beginning of time. In today’s classroom, lecture theatre or other learning
environment, teaching aids and props are just as useful as ever before. In early
childhood settings, teachers utilize a myriad of teaching aids and props, often in the
form of toys and games. Nature-based learning utilizes props such as trees, logs,
hills, dirt, plants, rocks and sticks – many of these are compiled by teacher from
various locations. As children get older, learning becomes more cognitive, abstract
and theoretical; the number of teaching aids and props reduce over time. However,
students of all ages and abilities can benefit from the use of teaching aids and
props; accelerated learning, improved recall and higher engagement are notable
potential benefits.

Teaching aids can be defined as any object used in the educational

environment to support learning and to make life easier for the teacher – they
support the professional practice of teaching. Common examples include timers,
flip charts, world globes and flashcards. Teaching aids are usually not subject
specific – a timer for example can be used in any subject. Teaching aids are used to
explain content, for revision purposes, to coordinate activities and to provide new
and exciting ways of learning. They support the execution of teaching strategies
and activities. They are also a management tool. Teachers can build a collection of
teaching aids over time by buying them from education stores.
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Audiovisual Aids to Mathematics Teaching

Audiovisual aids are an important means of making mathematics teaching
and learning effective and interesting. A teacher of mathematics needs to explore
the full potential of visual aids for more effective mathematics teaching. The use of
audiovisual aids helps in breaking the monotony of the classroom teaching-
learning process as most of the learning takes place through multi-sensory
experiences like listening, seeing, touching, feeling and so on. However, unless
used appropriately and with good planning, these aids can defeat the purpose for
which they are being used.

Need for audiovisual aids in mathematics teaching

As it has been discussed earlier, mathematics is an abstract subject and the
learning of abstract concepts becomes extremely difficult if the students have to
learn them through verbal explanation presented by the teacher. The learning can
be made easier and effective if the teaching is supplemented with the use of
audiovisual aids. Research and experience have shown that the use of audiovisual
aids can significantly increase and reinforce learning. While teaching abstract
mathematical concepts, visualization using concrete objects and the use of the
multi-sensory experiences facilitate understanding of the concepts. The use of
teaching aids helps the teaching and learning of mathematics in the following
ways.

The teaching aids

 Provide intrinsic motivation for learning.

 Promote self-activity and purposefulness in learning.
 Provide variety, freshness and reality to learning.
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 Cater to individual needs and abilities.

 Widen the range of experiences.
 Give necessary reinforcement through a feeling of satisfaction, joy, sense of
accomplishment, etc.
 Encourage original thinking.
 Leave long lasting impressions on the minds of the learner.
 Provide clear understanding of abstract mathematical concepts.
 Motivate the children and stimulate their mental activity.

Guidelines for Selection and Preparation of Audiovisual

Aids
As the term indicates ‘audio-visual aids’ include

i. Those materials which activate the auditory sense,

ii. Visual materials,
iii. Those materials which activate both the auditory and visual sense.

For effective communication of mathematical ideas, a teacher can make use of a

variety of such teaching aids. However, audio-visual aids do not automatically
increase teaching effectiveness and bring about desirable outcomes. They must be
carefully planned and designed to support a lesson and to suit a particular class of
students and situation prevailing in the classroom. The planning and preparation of
such aids require the teacher to:

 Select the concepts to be concretised

 Translate the ideas into a visual form
 Select the most appropriate medium of presentation
 Design the layout and choose effective colour combination
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 Prepare the aid

 Evaluate its effectiveness for future revision

When to use Audiovisual Aids

The audiovisual aids can be used for a variety of purposes such as:

 Arousing curiosity
 Maintaining interest
 Motivating the students
 Introducing a lesson
 Development of a lesson
 Interpreting mathematical ideas and principles
 Correlating mathematical ideas with life and other fields
 Summary and review
 Follow up of a lesson

Various aids in Teaching Mathematics

Visual aids

- Chalkboard

Chalkboard is perhaps the most important visual aids for teaching mathematics.
It is the most indispensable tool in the hands of a mathematics teacher.Mathematics
cannot be taught effectively without the use of chalkboard. Use of colour chalks
can make the blackboard work appealing and attractive. A mathematics teacher can
make use of the black board for:

 Drawing geometrical figures and illustrating construction of geometrical

figures.
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 Developing various steps of the solution of a problem or proof of a theorem.

 Drawing graphs.
 Writing important points to draw the attention of the students.
 Interrelating mathematical concepts and principles.
 Writing problems for assignment and drill.
 Summarizing the day’s lesson.

- Flannel board

Flannel board is an excellent device for exhibiting diagrams, geometrical

figures, prepared materials, showing interrelationship among various mathematical
ideas, sequence of steps in the derivation of a formula or steps in solving problems.
Flannel board consists of a piece of flannel stretched tightly over a strong backing
of plywood. The items to be depicted on the flannel board should be pasted with
small piece of sand paper at its backside so that it can be made to stick on the
flannel board.

The flannel board can be used for

 Showing the sequence of steps in the derivation of a formula, proof of a

theorem and solution of a problem.
 Rearranging the steps in the proper sequence.
 Moving certain parts of a geometrical figures to another position so as to get
a new geometrical figure.

- Magnetic boards

Magnetic board is a modification over the flannel board. Instead of flannel, a

metallic sheet is fixed on the plywood. Small magnets are used to hold the
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materials to be exhibited on the metallic boards. It serves the same purpose as a

flannel board does.

- Charts

Charts are one of the most commonly used teaching aids. The chart is a
systematic arrangement of key facts or ideas in a logical sequence or
representing ideas and facts in a pictorial or graphic form. The charts can be
used for a variety of purposes such as

 Motivating the students,

 Introducing a lesson,
 Deriving principles and formulae,
 Depicting various geometrical figures and their properties,
 Comparison of properties of different geometrical figures,
 Showing the steps in proving theorems,
 Relating mathematical ideas to day-to-day life situations,
 Showing the sequence of steps in geometrical constructions and problem
solving,
 Highlighting key points in a lesson,
 Concretizing abstract mathematical concepts into visual forms,
 Summarizing a lesson,
 Showing applications of mathematical principles and ideas,
 Tracing the historical development of certain mathematical concepts,
 Depicting interrelationship among mathematical concepts.

The use of charts saves the teacher’s time and labour, otherwise wasted in drawing
figures and diagrams on the blackboard. The charts help the teacher in presenting
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the matter in an illustrative manner with precision and accuracy and to capture the
attention of the students

- Models

of all the audiovisual aids, models are nearest to live or real experiences. Models
are three-dimensional representation of an idea and therefore they are replicas of
the original thing. Models provide contrived experiences where reality is altered or
simplified for teaching purpose. Thus models simplify the reality and enable the
teacher to reduce or enlarge objects to any desirable size.

Projective Aids

- overhead projectors (OHP)

This device helps in projecting transparent images on to a screen under normal

light condition. The transparencies can be easily prepared by the teacher by
drawing or writing directly into transparent acetate sheets with felt tip pens or
special OHP pens. They can also be prepared by photocopying illustrations
prepared on an ordinary white sheet of paper on to transparencies. Instead of using
the chalkboard, the mathematics teacher can use the transparencies as a writing
board for drawing important geometrical figures or showing the sequence of steps
in solving a problem.
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The use of transparencies serves the purposes of both using a chart and using the
chalkboard. The transparencies once prepared can be reused for similar learning
situations.

- Epidiascope or Opaque Projectors

Epidiascope is used for projecting opaque material such as pictures, diagrams,

maps or sketches, photographed specimens or small objects on to a screen. It is
especially useful for producing enlargement of diagrams, maps, and illustrations
from the books either for live presentation in the class or for copying on to self-
made charts, posters, etc. Epidiascope can be used in teaching mathematics, for
projecting the details regarding the history of mathematics, applications of
mathematics, pictures of great mathematicians, models of geometrical figures, etc.

- Slide projector

Slide projectors are for projecting slides. Many slide projectors are now available
with different types of slide carriers and storage trays. Some offer both manual and
remote-control systems. A number of slides can be prepared on topics selected by
the teacher and can be projected in the class in the right sequence, accompanied by
written notes or a tape-recorded summary.

- Film-strip projector

Film-strip projectors are used for projecting film-strips on the screen. They are of
great value in teaching mathematics as they provide a new colour and attraction to
the new mathematical ideas presented. By the aid of film-strip, any mathematical
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idea can be logically developed and presented in the class. It also helps in making
abstract mathematical concepts more concrete by pictures, diagrams and figures.

Auditory Aids

The auditory aids like radio and tape-recorder depends on a single sense-
hearing to convey its rich meanings. When matter is presented through radio and
tape-recorder, listening remains the only means of communication.

- Radio

Almost all the important centers of A.I.R. broadcast special programme on

mathematics education. These programmes are either related to general aspects of
mathematics education or regular classes on topics for high school and higher
secondary school mathematics. As far as possible, the teacher should try to
integrate the radio programme with regular classroom instruction. The teacher can
put up a list of programmes to be broadcast every week, on the classroom notice
board so that the students keep track of the programmes. The students may be
asked to take notes on the programmes and the teacher can follow it up with a
discussion on the following day.

- Tape-recorder

This is another auditory aid which can be used effectively for teaching
mathematics. Perhaps, recorded speeches by experts can be used effectively for
introducing a lesson, motivating the students, presenting new information for
which the students have no immediate access, bringing out the significance of
mathematics, stressing the application of mathematics in different fields etc. The
recorded messages should be clear and should be easily understood by the students.
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The teacher can provide further clarifications through discussions and questioning.
Being recorded, any number of replaying is possible for better understanding.

The following points can be considered while selecting the tape recorder.

(i) Portability (ii) Versatility (iii) Performance(iv) Simplicity

(v) Construction (vi) Price (vii) Company and dealer.

Audiovisual Aids

Audiovisual aids involve the use of both the senses of hearing and seeing
and hence they have a wide range of possibilities both for the teachers and the
students. Television, films and Compact Disks (CDs) are the important audiovisual
aids that could be used by a teacher.

- Television

Television has greater advantages than other media as it not only conveys the
messages through the sound, but also depicts the content with relevant pictures,
figures and scenes. The teacher can supplement her regular teaching by making use
of relevant educational programmes telecast by Doordarshan in English and in
regional languages. The list of programmes is published in advance in leading
news papers and the teacher can make use of this list as a guide to select the
programmes appropriate for the students.

Though this is an interesting aid for teaching, the major disadvantage is that if the
students are not able to follow any part of the programme, there is no way of
replaying it for viewing it once again or interacting with the expert for
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clarification. This can be overcome if the teacher records the programme and views
it along with the students, interacting and clarifying as and when it is required.

- Educational films / Video cassettes

The teacher can also make use of educational films prepared by experts which are
available in the market for sale. Before the teacher selects such films, the teacher
should check the expertise of its makers, the accuracy of the content presented, its
relevance for clarifying and enriching mathematical ideas and principles, style of
presentation, understandability of the language used in the narration, the
appropriateness of the visuals used and the length of the film.

- Computer and Compact Disks (CDs)

With the type of the technological advancement that is seen today, computers have
become important aids for instruction. To keep pace with the rapid growth taking
place in information technology, every teacher has to be well versed with the use
of computer, specially for teaching purposes. It has become more important in the
present age as the government in various states are taking necessary steps to equip
the schools with an adequate number of computers. The multimedia presentation of
a lesson will be more effective and interesting than any other way of presenting a
lesson. However, while preparing the multimedia presentation of a lesson the
teacher has to take care to see that the graphics, animations and sound effects used,
do not distract the students from the main theme of the lesson; instead, such effects
should enhance the students understanding of the content and sustain their interest
in learning.

There are also CDs prepared by experts available in the market. The teacher can
make use of those CDs. Before buying CDs, the teacher has to view and judge the
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sustainability and relevance for his purpose. The teacher can make use of the same
criteria for the selection of CDs as he used in the selection of video cassettes

CONCLUSION
Thus, a teacher of mathematics has a number of resources for getting
himself/herself equipped with a number of audiovisual aids at his/her disposal to
help in an effective presentation of the subject matter. But a teacher has to
carefully select the medium of presentation and the teaching aids which are best
suited for his/her students, keeping in mind their abilities and skills, needs, level of
achievement, time and learning situation and contents.
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REFERENCES
James,A.(2012). Teaching of Mathematics. New Delhi: Neelkamal
Publications, Pvt. Ltd.
Kulbir SinghSidhu. (2005). The Teaching of Mathematics. New Delhi:
Sterling Publishers, Pvt. Ltd.