From stuffed animals to pictures on popsicle sticks, these props are so useful when it comes to teaching a language. The colors, toys, and funny masks can be enticing for a child, and quite simple to use, but does it ever become too much? Is it possible to overuse our props? In this article, I will discuss my view on props, and why I have only a few simple props to teach my students with.
List of Props I Use:
· Stuffed Turtle
· Stuffed Duck
· Whiteboard
· 6 Different Colored markers
· Eraser
· Two detachable reward systems (bananas and fish)
· An orange dice
· Pom-Poms for cheering
This may not seem like much, but I assure you it is more than meets the eye. I do not use a colorful background in my classroom, and behind me I only have a bookshelf with my beautiful green plant. 😊
Why do I use only a few props for teaching?
This is because I prefer using total physical response (TPR) to teach more than using Props. This is my preference, and I realize this is not for everyone. I like to have active engagement during the classes by standing up and using my hands and arms to teach. So, let’s get into my thoughts on the pros and cons of using props in an online classroom.
Pros of Props:
Engaging: When used correctly, props can be engaging and help bring a child’s focus back to the classroom. They are pretty, fun, and have potential to help you teach. It is like treasure to a child. They love to see what you have and to be surprised with crazy, fun, glittery objects. If you are teaching in person, my favorite game to play with my kids was “What is in the box?”. They loved to shake the box, feel the object, and use their senses to describe it. This can also be done online, but they can only use sight and hearing to tell what is in the box.
Multipurpose: There is unlimited amounts of potential by using props. They can be used to teach all different areas of language: grammar, nouns, adjectives, etc. I use my turtle to teach about colors, animals, prepositions, and sentence frames. You can use puppets to help get a shy student to engage with you. Sometimes it is too scary to talk to a new person, especially online, but throwing in a soft stuffed animal or doll can make the situation more comfortable.
Teaching tools: This may sound like beating a dead horse, but they are useful tools for any classroom, not only online classrooms. Not only can you teach grammar points, but when you have a prop, being able to think creatively and use it to its full potential is a true talent. They are also helpful to teach high level language learners. They are a hands-on, proactive way of explaining concepts.
Food for Thought:
How would you explain an abstract concept to a student using props? Let’s take any form of figurative language: my mind was racing.
How would you use props to explain this to a teen?
What are you favorite props to use while explain concepts or vocabulary?
Cons of props:
Too much prop usage: It is possible to use props too much, and too much of anything is not good. Using multimodalities to teach students creates an atmosphere that changes and engages the students in several ways. If you use props every single time to explain something, it may become regular for the students to see the props, which makes them less special. Switch between TPR, verbal explanations, props and other forms of teaching. This will help your classroom be multimodal, and help students who have different learning styles, learn more efficiently.
Distraction: If you have props in the background of your screen or they are all out for the students to see, this can become extremely distracting for some students. You can definitely have some of your props out for the students to see but leaving some of them as surprises may help you later on with behavior management. I enjoy having a blank background and pulling props out of my desk shelves. This way, I have control over what the student can see, and it makes it more interesting to wonder what might pop out into my screen.
Student Preferences: As mentioned above, not all students enjoy props and may not benefit by learning from props all the time. We all learn in a variety of ways. People have broken down learning into three categories: kinesthetic, verbal, and visual.
BUT
There are so many more ways to learn than just these three ways. We call this Multiple Intelligence. Please follow this link to find out more about this: https://www.simplypsychology.org/multiple-intelligences.html
It is incredibly interesting to read and will open your eyes to a new world of brain power! 😊
Reliance: As a result of always using props, we lose creativity and become reliant on this one form of learning. Many people like to try new things and doing this will allow your classroom to remain fresh and vibrant. Remember to incorporate movement or song into your next lesson, because you may find that you enjoy other ways of teaching as well. 😉
In conclusion,
Props are wonderful tools that bring an exciting element to classrooms both online and in person. Please remember that you don’t have to have all the toys in the world to create a fun classroom environment and your students will benefit from different modes of learning aside from using props.
That is all for now! Have a great week and please subscribe if you want to read more content. Bye! 😊