Sunday, November 27, 2011

Visualisers Enhance Classroom Learning

By Damon Mansell


The days when you could get away with passing a prop like a Caribbean conch around your class have passed. Lucky in a way because it means that there is no longer a risk of delicate historical objects getting dropped as they are passed around the class. You also no longer have to use boring old black and white overhead projector slides.

Let's face it, it's not easy being a teacher and the first point of call, getting kids to focus, is sometimes the hardest part.

The modern version of an overhead projector is called a visualiser. It lets you share objects and documents with your class. The whole class can see the objects in 3D and can view them at the same time. It really engages the class and because you are facing the class you can soon spot anyone who is not paying as much attention as they need to.

You can even show the class how an object works, because you can actually manipulate it under the visualiser. It sure beats having to draw things out in a series of diagrams and speeds up the learning process.

For studying objects of nature, photographs and documents, a visualiser cannot be beat. Rather than writing on a black or white board, you can use a visualiser to magnify your handwriting so that your pupils can follow you as you write.

Visualisers really come into their own when you teach a class science. You can carry out a full experiment under a visualiser. Your entire class can clearly see what you are doing and can see the reaction or result you are trying to teach them about. It is not only clearer it is far safer and easier than trying to carry out an experiment with the whole class crowding around you and looking over your shoulder.




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