Making and Using Slides in the ESL Classroom

Abstract

Posters are expensive, guest speakers rare and photos limited to those few students within eye range. The use of slides can present a welcome solution to teachers and students alike. They provide an interesting variation from classroom routine and cognitiveoriented exercises. The colourful visual element of slides encourages the imagination and distances students from too great a dependency on the written word. Slides can supplement intensive and evening ESL programmes and can be used to teach a variety of themes, everyday subjects and specific structures. This article is aimed especially at the high Beginner and low Intermediate level learners and should be of interest to instructors ranging from the secondary to adult education departments. Techniques encompassing the four skills are outlined. Finally, the possibility of using teacher or student-made slides generated by special projects is considered.