On application of visuals in teaching English; selected issues ...

In this technique students are given a picture and a set of sentences. They have to decide which of the sentences are
true and which are false relying on the picture. A variation is to give one picture and three texts containing true and false
information. Students have to read all three texts, decide what is true and write out a true text. 39
c. Predicting
Students use a picture accompanying a text to predict what the text is about. It is a kind of pre-reading task. Before
students begin reading, pictures generate their interest, build confidence and facilitate comprehension.
d. Incomplete picture
Students are given an incomplete picture (a map for example) and a text with information about it. They read the text
and draw in the missing parts of the picture. 40
e. Sequencing
Students read a story provided by the teacher and then arrange a number of pictures to match the text.
3.3 Other applications of visuals
a. Conveying meaning
Some pictures seem to illustrate an object or an action. They are usually very simple and with minimum background.
Such pictures seem to be ideal for explaining the meaning of words, but this is not the only way of introducing new
vocabulary with the application of visual aids.
Teacher can present a word by pointing to an object. Real objects make it possible to teach not only nouns but also
other parts of speech. They can be touched and manipulated, which provide possibility to introduce new adjectives and
verbs.
Teacher can also use his/her body language to illustrate the meaning of a word through gestures and mimes.
New words can be also introduced by giving them graphical forms which help memorize them. In this technique
students try to give the word a shape which can be easily associated with its meaning.
Good idea is also drawing a diagram. Students are provided with or draw simple sketch or a picture of certain object
(for example “a car” or “a men”). They name each element of the picture or number them and make a list of words used to
name these elements. Such diagram can be used as a kind of picture dictionary.
An interesting way of explaining the meaning of word families is drawing ‘word thermometers’. “These are useful for
indicating degree in e.g. size, speed, age, distance, emotion. Students are given a list of words in jumbled order and they
have to place these words in the correct place on the thermometer.” 41
b. Grammar teaching
Andrew Wright writes that “at some stage in T/L sequence the teacher will probably want the learner to become
consciously aware of the grammatical principle behind the new language being learnt.” 42 Visuals help there in many ways.
Wright provides an example of visual material used for a statement of principle. There are two pictures of a cat. In the first
one the cat is eating a fish, in the second one there is evidence that the cat has eaten the fish. These pictures are
prepared in such way, that they direct the students’ attention and present the differences between the tenses. 43
In tense teaching very common is application of a time line. Timelines are used to explain language in the more
universal form of pictures, diagrams and symbols. They enable the communication of sophisticated concepts to the
lowest level of learner.
Visuals are also very useful in drilling. Practising description, comparing pictures, naming, asking the questions and
answering them students are using certain tenses or grammar structures, either in a written or spoken form.
c. Rising awareness of phonology
Visuals can be used to help students with their pronunciation, intonation and accent.
Teacher prepares minimal pairs of words which can be presented visually. Then s/he presents these words
pronouncing them carefully one by one. Students’ task is to show the picture presenting the word teacher is pronouncing
at the moment.
While practicing intonation and stress teacher can also present it visually. S/he uses for example squares instead of
syllables, where the biggest one means syllable stressed. Such technique is useful also to teach whole sentence melody
and intonation. Teacher can present rising and falling intonation using rising and falling indicators or gestures of his/her
hand. 44
d. Promoting interest in culture
Foreign language is strongly connected with the culture of people who use it. For this reason a language teacher
should provide the students with aids which would make this culture more familiar.
There are many objects, customs, habits, places and traditions which are alien to a language learner. To make the
meaning clearer, teacher can use visual images to support the explanation. Visuals and real objects add to the
atmosphere and remind students that the subject has a great deal to do with life outside the classroom. These can be
pictures, photos, magazines, post cards, films, brochures and other target-culture visuals. Thanks to them lesson is more
interesting and the students aware of cultural differences and similarities are more involved in target language learning.
39 Ibid., 165-166.
40 Ibid.,163.
41 Alan Matthews, Mary Spratt and Les Dangerfield, At The Chalkface. Practical Techniques in Language Teaching
(Walton-on-Thames Surrey: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, 1991), 186.
42 Wright, “Audio-Visual Materials”, 265.
43 Ibid.
44 Komorowska, Metodyka, 109-110.