a. Easily Visible. An instructor should consider the size of the class, the
viewing area, and the suitability of the subject matter. You should make sure that your
aid can be seen easily; and if lettering is used, it should be readable from the rear of the
class. Lettering should be a minimum of one inch in height for every thirty-two feet of
distance from the front of the room to the rear of the viewing area.
b. Uncomplicated. The training aid should be simple enough to be understood
by the average student in your class. If the material you want to include is very
involved, give the students a handout they can follow while you are pointing out
important areas on the chart or graph. Be sure all your facts and figures are correct and
do not conflict with current doctrine.
c. Easily Used. Be sure you can operate and use the training aid with a
minimum of effort. Never try to operate two different kinds of training aids at the same
time. Using an overhead projector and a slide projector together in the same lesson
can cause you to lose your train of thought.
d. Professional. Even if you made the training aid yourself, it should look neat
and eye appealing. Too many words or too much color can clutter the aid. Color helps
to add interest, but line drawings also teach.
e. Appropriate. The training aid should illustrate or explain a main point of the
lesson. They should never be used as time fillers or as entertainment. Lecture time
can always be used to better advantage. Frequently a low cost, locally produced aid will
be as good as or better than an expensive custom-made aid. Try not to use too many
aids in one lesson. When students see the training aids all the time, they stop paying
attention.
3-19. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING TRAINING AIDS
Be sure you know how and when you are going to use the aids. Rehearse the
lesson a couple of times or until your presentation is smooth. If you are not planning to
use all the graphics in a chart portfolio, tab all the ones you will use and indicate the
order in which you will use them. You can easily lose the attention of the class by
spending class time looking for the graphic you want to show.
a. Explain the Training Aid. Explain the purpose or function of each aid you
use. Even though you think the aid is self-explanatory, not all of your students may
understand it. This is especially true if the aid is complicated or technical. If you have
not given enough explanation, your students will miss part of your lecture trying to figure
out the aid.
b. Cover When Not in Use. Cover charts or drawings on the chalkboard with
paper until you use them and after you have used them. Keep the projector turned off
when you are not using it. Cover a model or piece of equipment with a cloth and then
recover after use. Even the finest training aids will be distracting to the class.
MD0560
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