Notes: Teaching Material/Aids | EVS & Pedagogy Paper 1 for CTET & TET Exams - CTET & State TET PDF Download

Teaching Material is crucial for the completion of the teaching process. Teaching material is useful for both student and teacher for the proper understanding of the Environmental Science Subject. The teacher should maintain proper care while using teaching aids if proper precaution is not taken, the student may not able to understand the concept properly and the whole preparation may go into the vein. 

Teaching material/aids are the products, instruments and processes used by the teacher to make things easy and rememberable for the students in order they maintain concepts remember for the whole life. For example: To make students understand addition and subtraction teachers uses an abacus to make things easier, simpler and understandable.

Insights into Teaching Material/Aids

Teaching material/aids are classified into three categories:

• Visual aids- These aids are used to view things, images and another documentary to have an idea about things that exist in an environment and examples are slides, overhead projectors, chalkboards, maps, pictures, globe models, projectors etc. 
• Audio aids- These aids are used to listen and have an idea about the sounds of animals, birds, and actors' voices. For example- radio,  how cow speaks "main", "main", how cat speaks "mew", "mew" and how dog barks, our Prime Minister's Mr Narendra Modi "Maan ki Awaj" is the classical example of audio aids. 
• Audio-Visual aids- These aids are used to understand the concept in a long run, For example:- Documentary, movies to grasp new ideas and things i.e. life after 20 years, life underwater, marine life, to create awareness about a social cause like nowadays corona is around the corner.

Characteristics of Teaching Aids/Materials

1. Teaching aids are simple, easy to understand and are meaningful.
2. Teaching aids are accurate and genuine.
3. Teaching aids are designed according to the intellectual level of the learners.
4. Teaching aids are informative meant to spread the message among the masses. 
5. Teaching aids that differ for all class levels are not the same for all class levels.
6. Teaching aids are useful for implementing the teaching process but they cannot replace the teacher.

Advantages of Teaching Material/Aids

• Helps in grasping things for the long run.
• Helps in understanding the intricacies of the subject meant for prospects.
• Helps in understanding things most easily.
• Helps in making learning permanent and goal-oriented.
• Helpful in grabbing the attention of the students by its interactive mode.
• Helpful in saving time, money and resources.
• Helps the teacher to create learning and a friendly situation in the classroom.
• Helpful in creating a cordial environment for growth and development.
• Helpful in meeting individual needs and desires.
• Helps in the development of interpersonal and intrapersonal communication skills.

Visual Aids are Useful for the Following

• Language Disorder- stammering, stuttering and prolonged speech
• Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down Syndrome
• Learning Disabilities- Dyslexia and Dysgraphia
• Students who are unable to read and write English as English is a secondary language for them.
• Students having Hearing Impairment Problem.
• Students having the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Highlights of Teaching Aids/Methods

• Teaching aids should be simple and brief and related to the objectives of teaching
• Teaching aids must be according to the interest of the student.
• Teaching aids should be prepared and planned to keep the requirement of the subject in mind.
• Teaching aids should be properly selected according to the intellectual level of the student.
• Teaching aids should be interactive in nature.

When & Where to Use Teaching Aids?

1. When the topic to be taught is of difficult level.
2. When the topic to be taught is beyond the imagination level of the student.
3. Where the object to be shown to students is small in size to be seen by the whole class.
4. Where the object to be shown is huge to be bought in the class.
5. Where the teacher lecture is not sufficient to make students understand the topic.

Examples of Visual Aids

• MS-Powerpoint
• Over-Head-Projectors
• White or Black Board
• Flip-charts
• Charts

Examples of Audio Aids

• Radio
• Tape recorder
• Language Laboratory
• Gramophone
• Linguaphone

Examples of Audio-Video Aids

• Television
• Computer
• Virtual Classroom
• Multimedia
• Film Projector