Why use Audio-Visual Aids in Language Teaching

One important factor that the language teacher hasIn planning the use of audio-visual aids for language
to remember is that an audio-visual aid is not ateaching, the teacher would be wise to follow the
substitute for actual experience. He/she shouldassumptions as follow:-
always try to provide the students with live 
situations. Only if such situations are not available, due( 1 ) It must be practical- Elimination of an academic
to circumstances, should he/she use audio-visual aids.approach and a well-planned method of presentation
Another factor to note is that the impatient orare necessary if the main hours of language learning
incompetent teacher will not be transformed by hisare to be used most productively. 
her use of audio-visual material. They will not make( 2 ) It must be simple- Any plan for using
him/her a better teacher or any of the other thingsaudio-visual aids must be fundamentally simple; simple
that he/she must be if he/she is to do his/her jobin construction and simple to present. 
well. Audio-visual materials can't make a teacher what( 3 ) It must be interesting- Retention of subject
he/she is not or does not strive to become. Theymatter will be greater when the audio-visual aid is
offer no cure all for the problems in the classroom.interesting. 
They are only resources to help the teacher to( 4 ) It must be educational- The sole reason for
communicate with his/her students, and he/she willusing audio-visual aids is to create, sustain and make
utilize them effectively only when he/she contributespermanent the desired behaviour pattern. The use of
the requisite attitude, understanding and work-andaudio-visual aids should never be merely entertaining. 
when he/she looks at them with full critical( 5 ) It should be relevant to the lesson- All
awareness of what they can or can't do. audio-visual aids should be directly relevant to a
 specific objective and identified by the lesson in
Audio-visual aids must be seen in their relation towhich it should be used. 
teaching and to the learning process as a whole. Until( 6 ) It must be effective- No audio-visual material,
this relationship is understood, the language teacherregardless of its simplicity, practically or interesting
can't be expected to make intelligent or fruitful usequalities, is worth anything unless it gets results. 
of these new techniques, which offer so much help( 7 ) The aid should be easy to manipulate-
to the teacher in his/her daily work. Above all it mustAudio-visual aids which require a great deal of
be realized that audio-visual methods form only onemanipulation are of little value. 
of several groups of methods designed to improve( 8 ) It must not be too expensive-Materials that
teaching. have educational value or are useful to the teaching
How to Plan Audio-Visual Aids:-programme should be highly re-usable.