OER 4 Digital and tech for language and learning

4.1 Teachers – Activity 1

Visual resources for language and learning

Visual resources are stimulating and reinforcing for language learning and learning in general. Images can:

• support learners at different levels of the language of instruction
• be current and relevant to learners
• illustrate words and ideas
• add interest to your lessons
• show places and people that are far away
• show processes that are not possible in the classroom
• reduce how much you need to talk and explain.

1. Use a phone or other device to download a visual resource. This could be:

• video (e.g. demonstrating a science experiment or illustrating a topic such as driverless cars)
• photographs (e.g. of famous historical figures, or faraway locations)
• artwork to copy or discuss
• graph or chart
• slide show
• map.

2. Then make a plan to integrate the resource into a lesson. Downloading will depend on how large the resource is, and your connectivity.

Have you tried digital tools that can ‘capture’ images without downloading everything? There is a ‘snipping’ tool that is built into most digital devices. Look for the ‘scissors’ icon and practise using it.

You can connect the device to a projector, if you have one, and show the resource on a sheet or wall for students to see and respond to. Students can:

• develop their vocabulary by describing what they see
• ask and answer questions about it
• write about it.

Or, you can have students see the resource in pairs or small groups around the device. If you organise the presentation in this way, have students see the resource and then go off to work on an activity about it.

3. After the lesson, think about:

• How difficult or easy did you find this?
• Did the resource make the lesson more interesting and motivating for students?
• Did the resource make teaching more enjoyable?

Share your resource with colleagues if you have a professional chat group (on WhatsApp, Viber or Facebook, for example).