There are many times we need to provide information to our students and use presentation programs, like PowerPoint or Keynote. The rules for using text in these presentations has always been 7x7 - no more than 7 lines of text with 7 words in each line.
1. Let the pictures do the talking. What are people doing if you throw text at them while you talk to them? That's right - they're reading the text. Try finding images that could convey your information. As students participate in the lesson, they might not take notes. However, they will actually have to analyze the picture rather than just write down the words from your presentation. Which of the two will leave a lasting impact on your students?
This also provides a great opportunity for questioning. Take the following slide for an example of thematic lesson or unit on Veteran's Day:
The questions listed on the slide might or might not be necessary. A teacher could just display the picture and ask the students to respond with questions. Regardless, the questions listed should spark discussion among students. This image means many different things for different people. It's one of those situations that definitely causes the students to "feel" something rather than copy down someone else's words.
By teaching with images rather than words, students with reading or writing difficulties can participate fully. The focus is away from reading someone else's ideas and instead, the students generate their own. This can assist to differentiate a classroom for ESL students, visual learners, and even auditory learners due to the discussions that could ensue.
A great site to get great quality, royalty free images is Stock Xchange.
Try it out! The next time you need to develop a presentation for your students, try using visuals to enhance their thinking and spark questioning. The students will notice a difference, too!
