More and more often, tutors appreciate various types of support materials. Such materials can be, for example, visualizations, which are a great addition to lessons. How can they be used so that learners appreciate their potential? Easily! We can prove it in this article!
What are visual materials?
An effective English lesson is a varied lesson that will arouse the curiosity and enthusiasm of your learners. It is very important because satisfied learners will make you feel the joy of teaching. Visual materials are a really broad topic and there are many types of them. The most popular and commonly used are:
- pictures
- memes
- GIFs
- infographics
- mind maps
- comics
- graphs
The most well-known visualizations from books to learn English are pictures, which are primarily used to practise oral competence. Exercises such as describing a picture and thus practicing grammatical structures, as well as memorizing vocabulary, are probably known to every learner. As a tutor, try to go one step further and use a variety of materials during your lessons.
The perfect way to start and end a lesson
Many tutors forget that an English lesson is also their time! It means that it is very important to make sure that lessons are varied and tutors are satisfied with the results of their work. Sometimes tutors get stressed before a lesson. Such emotions can also accompany adult learners. Visual materials such as funny memes and gifs are a great way to create a relaxing atmosphere. Starting a lesson in an unconventional way, for example with a funny meme or gif, can be a great way to start and end a lesson. The last minutes of lessons are also a great opportunity to use this type of visual material. Why? The end of the lesson is often a crisis moment because learners feel tired and overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge they have acquired during classes.
A good plan makes it easier to use visual materials
Remember that using support materials such as ESL Lesson Plans will not only make it easier for you to conduct lessons but will also provide you with inspiration. The ready-made plans from english4tutors have a variety of visual materials, such as presentations, infographics, and mind maps, which can be used quickly and easily during both online and stationary lessons. It’s a good idea to always have extra materials with you, which you could use in a crisis moment during the lesson. Unfortunately, such situations do happen. If you see that your learners start to get bored or overwhelmed by solving a lot of tasks, get rid of the monotony by using some visual materials. The colors, the layout of the content, and the different font sizes have real potential to be great variety!
Why is it a good idea to use visual materials?
There are many reasons to use visual materials, but the most important is to diversify the lessons so that they become more effective. You probably wonder when and what kind of materials to use. There is no one good answer, but you can use some of the schemes we suggest. Mind maps (which can be filled in or partially blank) are ideal for revising a vocabulary. Comics are great for creative exercises such as creating dialogues or completing sentences. Catchy headlines are a great way to initiate discussion. Infographics and graphs are great support for Business English lessons, which are often based on specific economic data. Memes and gifs add a relaxing atmosphere to lessons and are a great way to test spontaneous speaking skills. Pictures are well-known but not always liked as support material for teaching and learning. However, it is certainly a real must-have for all language certificate preparation courses. Do you look for inspiration and want to prepare your lessons faster and more effectively? Look for the perfect ESL Lesson Plans to improve and diversify your lessons with English4tutors!
