Using Microsoft PowerPoint As A Tool For Teaching

Thinking back to long gone school days, I recall the majority of my teachers delivering their lessons with the aid of a blackboard and a piece of chalk. There was also the occasional individual who preferred to use a white board or an overhead projector because it allowed them to introduce colour into their presentation. Nowadays, more teachers have access to computers and with adequate training, are therefore able to deliver classes with the aid of PowerPoint. By incorporating photographs, video clips and sound into presentations important concepts can be illustrated in a clear and informative manner.

Ways of using PowerPoint in Lessons

- Outlining a plan of activities - This is particularly useful at the start of a new term when you want to give the students an overview of the material that needs to be covered.
- Informing the students about the next assignment - This can cover the material that needs to be included, reference sources, deadlines and assessment criteria.
- Teaching new ideas to students- A PowerPoint presentation can be used to introduce a new topic to your students. It can be particularly useful for clearly displaying complex formulae. Animated slides can be used to help explain the steps in a particular process such as photosynthesis or a chemical reaction.
- Summarising material covered - Once a topic has been covered, you can prepare a PowerPoint presentation to highlight the important points learned and check that that your students have mastered the important concepts. It can be useful for the class to see the material presented in a different way. Handouts, including additional references, can be prepared for the students to take away at the end of the class.
- Tests and quizzes - PowerPoint can be used to create interactive, multimedia quizzes for use during lessons. A question can appear on the screen and the appearance of the answer delayed by using the time delay feature.

These are just some simple ways that the features of PowerPoint can be used to help benefit the learning experience of your students. It may be worth considering PowerPoint training to make sure that you can get the most out of this software and to ensure that you are using your precious time as efficiently as possible. If all teachers with an organisation are trained to a similar level of technical expertise, consistency can be ensured. Successful presentations can be shared with colleagues and saved for future use. Exchanging ideas with colleagues can be useful and even provide you with a new perspective on how to teach a new topic. When used appropriately, PowerPoint can be an effective tool to support learning in the classroom.