Nowadays, there are many teaching aids used in classroom such as visual aids (real objects, models, pictures, charts, maps, flash cards, chalkboard…), audio aids (radio, tape recorder, gramophone…), and audio – visual aids (television, film projector, film strips). However, chalkboard is one of the commonest teaching aids today.
Chalkboard – an indispensable material in any classroom – is one of the most familiar and useful visual aids with every teacher. It not only is used to convey knowledge or to help students review their knowledge what they learned but also encourages students to study and makes the lesson more interesting. However, many teachers do not realize the importance of the chalkboard, which is not fully utilized for the benefit of them or not using them a really effective way. Here are some benefits of chalkboard:
- The teacher not only can illustrate and summarize the main/key points of the lesson but also write down students’ questions about the lesson on the chalkboard.
- Students’ interact can be encouraged by chalkboard drawings. For example, in Unit 8: School Things (page 72) English 3, teacher can draw rubber, pencil, ruler, school bag on the board to stimulate students’ study.
- Teacher can stick pictures, maps, graphs or show videos… which are used to serve for content of lesson on the board.
- Chalkboard is exhibition halls. It means that teacher can hang students’ work art to exhibit and show to other students in class.
- Chalkboard is a wonderful stage. Students can stand on platform board to sing songs as a singer, dramatic play as an actor or dance as a dancer. For instance, in unit 5: Our Friends (page 46) English 3, teacher can tell a story about friendship such as “Happy Tree Friends” story and then asks students perform that story. We can decorate chalkboard background to make story lively.
- Chalkboard is an ideal playground. Teacher can organize games on the board so that students participate.
Besides, teacher also is considered as useful teaching aids. They play an important and indispensable role in classroom.
- Teacher is a presenter/leader – introduce, present the content of lesson or lead in students to interesting variety of activities.
- Teacher is a musician or poet – compose songs/ poems with simple melodies and lyrics that easy to remember and relate to the content of lesson for students.
- Teacher is an artist – draw pictures on the board to attract students’ attention and make the lesson lively.
- Teacher is a real object – use his/her parts of the body, height, weight… to demonstrate for students.
- Teacher is a model – with new knowledge, teacher can do first as a sample so that students are understand easily and then follow.
- Teacher is a friend. Friendliness and closeness of the teacher to student as a friend of them will help them feel no tension in the classroom.
- Teacher is a story-teller – tell students stories to help them concentrate on the lesson. Through the story, teacher can teach vocabulary or structure grammar to students. It really is a wonderful teaching way.
- Teacher is an observer – observe whole class to know what students do.
- Teacher is a role- player. Teacher can take part in activities and role play in conservation with students.
In conclusion, teaching aids help teacher teach effectively and make students feel excited. Therefore, with each lesson, the teacher should choose suitable teaching aids so that students gain the lesson in the best way. And chalkboard and teacher are teaching aids which you should not skip. They are convenient and available in all time.
Journal for PELT 
Many effective things I can see from your writing. Thanh you very much! However, all of us may never do like a perfect teacher as you said, so I think we need to practice a lots. Thus for the later, can you recommend some ways to improve this for us? I am sure you will have a chance to learn it once more. Once more, thank so much!
Hello…!
Firstly, thank for your sharing. after reading your writing I see that there are many interesting things…in my opinion, you should give an specific example when you give the role of the students and the teacher.
Teacher is a material in the classroom. In order to convey the information the students. teacher can use body languages, eye contact, sing or dance….
For example: Teaching vocabulary about the human body such as: head, lips, nose, eyes, mouth….teacher will express the part of the body and students look at the teacher and they can guess the meaning of the words.