Sometimes we as teachers (especially myself) put too much effort into making our lessons look polished and organized, as if we could be observed at any moment. For me at least, this takes a lot of precious time.
Showing pictures
I used to download pictures rather than display them directly in a browser from a Google image search, for example. Instead of downloading all pictures before a lesson, like you know which ones you’ll need, it might be a better idea to just download a few essential images, then open up Google to search for images on the fly as words come up in a lesson. Basically, just use Google as a quick way to display an image to show the meaning of a word.
PowerPoint Slides
I can’t stand PowerPoint. In the time it takes me to create some nicely polished slides, I could have planned an effective language-learning task for my students. Sure, slides look professional, but do most students even care about how professional your lesson looks? Slides can show pictures and bulleted lists nicely, but so can Google images, YouTube, or a Word document. Save the fancy slides and go for a good old whiteboard or Word document with large font size, as long as you’re guiding your class through effective and engaging activities, and I’d say you have a good lesson.
I realize this post is a little snarky, but it’s good to be that way as teachers sometimes, right? Anyway, what do you think? Post your ideas below!
