EVS Teaching Aids: REET Notes

Classification of Teaching-Learning Materials

Teaching aids are mainly grouped into three categories. Audio aids are materials learned purely by listening, such as the radio, tape recorder and phonograph — these are especially useful in language teaching for pronunciation and error correction. Visual aids are materials learned purely by seeing, such as charts, pictures, models, the blackboard and flashcards. Audio-visual aids are materials that combine seeing and hearing, such as television, educational films, computer-based videos and projectors. Teachers should keep in mind that the choice of material should be based on the subject and objective being taught, not merely on what happens to be available.

ICT for children with special needs

For visually impaired children, text-to-speech software, which reads written text aloud, is considered the most useful ICT tool, because it turns the barrier of reading into something understood by listening. For hearing-impaired children, on the other hand, visual cues, sign-language videos and subtitled material are more useful. Teachers must choose the right material for each child's specific need, rather than giving every child the same material — this is the core principle of inclusive education.

Materials and their most suitable use

The principle for choosing teaching aids — from direct experience to the abstract

According to educationist Edgar Dale, children learn best from direct, real experience, such as planting a plant themselves or touching a real object, while teaching through words or definitions alone is a comparatively less effective and more abstract method. So teachers should offer direct experience or demonstration first wherever possible, and turn to words and definitions only as a last resort — this principle matters especially in small classes like 1-5, since children of this age learn quickly and lastingly from concrete experiences.

Modern ICT tools in EVS teaching

Smart board / interactive whiteboard

Helps display pictures, video and animation in an audio-visual way

Tablet / computer-based apps

Helps every child practise at their own pace and get instant feedback

Educational videos

Help show slow natural processes, like the water cycle or plant growth, sped up

Features of good teaching material

Good teaching material should suit the class level and subject matter, be arranged in a graded order from simple to complex, and be easily available and safe. In a subject like EVS, where children make sense of their own surroundings, real objects, such as leaves, seeds and soil samples, and the surrounding environment itself often turn out to be the most effective teaching material, since they let children learn from direct experience and connect what they learn to their everyday life. Bringing these ideas together: audio aids like the radio, tape recorder and phonograph are learned purely by listening and work especially well for correcting pronunciation in language teaching; visual aids like charts, pictures, models, the blackboard and flashcards are learned purely by seeing; and audio-visual aids such as television, educational films, computer-based videos and projectors combine both. For children with special needs, the right aid depends entirely on the need itself — text-to-speech software, which reads written text aloud, is the most useful tool for visually impaired children, while visual cues, sign-language videos and subtitled material work best for hearing-impaired children, since neither group can rely on the same kind of material as the other. This same logic extends to modern classroom tools too: a smart board or interactive whiteboard helps show pictures, video and animation together, a tablet or computer-based app lets each child practise at their own pace and get instant feedback, and an educational video can speed up a slow natural process, such as the water cycle or a plant growing, so children can see the whole process in a short time.

How to teach children

Questions asked in REET 2024 (with solutions)

Practice Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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