Teaching and learning involves activities. These activities are carried out by the teacher and pupils.

More often, these activities require aids or materials to make teaching and learning more meaningful and practical.

This it is necessary to use teaching aids in presenting our lessons. Teaching aids are otherwise referred to as audio-visual aids; meaning aids for the ears and eyes.

Audio means sound, relating to the ear, that us, hearing. Visual aids are real things or samples of real things which are useful for imparting knowledge. It is related to the eyes i.e what one can see or perceive.

So therefore, a teacher should plan Instructional units that will incorporate these aids, since many pupils learn more readily through such media than through verbal approach alone. In combination, verbal and audio-visual aids enhance the pupils learning situation.

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Importance of audio-visual aids

Audio-visual aids can do the following:

• They can overcome language barriers.
• They can provide a wide variety of tools to aid teaching
• Audio-visual aids reach more people in a shorter time.
• They make learning real, faster and more permanent. Understanding is improved because the what, how, and why are presented together.
• Use of audio-visual makes 'training' or practice real especially if they are used to show people how new methods or new tools can aid them. People are more convinced than when verbal words alone are used.
• Learners have a high degree of interest for audio-visual aids. Hence, they can sustain learning.
• They offer reality of experience and supply concreteness to concept.
• Audio-visual, especially motion pictures develop a continuity of thought.
• Audio-visual provide experiences not easily obtained through other materials and contribute to the efficiency, depth and variety of learning.
  Finally, audio-visual aids cannot replace the teacher as they cannot teach by themselves. So the teacher is still of great importance.

Types of Audio-visual Aids

• Television: Instructional television can be used to present a quizzes program or a lecture, experiment to people in the classroom or very far away. If a telephone hook is used, a question and answer session can follow. Television can serve a useful medium for demonstrating a skill or experiments to learners.

• Films: Educational films on health or anything can be valuable aid in the communication of ideas to people or persuading them to adopt new health practices.

• Radio: Radio presents sounds only. The person talking or presenting a discussion is not seen. Yet, it is skill valuable in that many people can be reached. It has advantage over newspaper or textbook because it can be understood by the people who cannot read. It can used to give learners or general public information. There is usually no opportunity for discussion of information given through radio.

• Film strips and slides: Film strips are readily available. They have related sequence of topics on transparent still pictures or image on a strip of 35mm film usually containing 20-30 frames on a screen. Both film strips and slides are relatively expensive and both use color. They are more valuable than films for specific discussion. It can easily be referred to for review and clarification. They serve well for introducing, developing and reviewing a unit.

• Videotapes and cassettes: These are very useful in teaching activity skills, laboratory work or demonstration. For example, you can use videotapes and cassettes in demonstrating food test in the laboratory. Video cameras and Videotapes allow immediate play back of individual or group performance.

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