Using Slideshows in Classroom Teaching: 7 Tips

Many articles have been written about the benefits of using slideshows in the classroom. It’s proven to be a useful tool for sharing information and carrying out interactive activities, such as quizzes and educational games. In this post, we’ll talk about some benefits of applying slides in teaching and share 7 tips for creating effective slideshows. So let’s begin.

Benefits of Using a Slideshow

One of the advantages of slideshows is the ability to integrate interactive elements such as quizzes, polls, and discussion prompts. Interactive slideshows create a dynamic learning environment and promote a sense of involvement among students. They encourage active participation and allow students to engage with the material in a hands-on manner. 

Besides, a slideshow can help you work with less unpredictability as it lets you plan everything ahead. And best of all, you can share your slideshow with those who have missed the class and post it online so students can go back and access it as reference material. 

Slideshow Making Tips

1. More Images, Less Text

While preparing a slideshow for a class, it might be tempting to add as much information as possible. But you need to remember that you should not use it to display everything you’re talking about during your lecture. The slides can only support you and make the knowledge more comprehensible. So, be sure to add plenty of images, videos, and graphics to help your students learn effectively. 

2. Consider the Slideshow Design

You don’t have to be a professional graphic designer to craft a good slideshow. But you still need to choose a cohesive color scheme, font styles, and layout. It’s also important to use contrasting colors and fonts that are big enough to be easily readable by your audience.

3. Create As Many Slides As You Need

Many educators try to make fewer slides, but there’s nothing good about it. Instead, you should create as many slides as you need. Let’s say you spend 10 minutes on 10 slides instead of making your audience look at the same slide for the same period of time. Doesn’t it seem more engaging and dynamic? 

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Be Funny

Emotional responses are key to aiding memory, so a little bit of humor in your slideshow won’t do any harm to your audience or your reputation. You don’t have to be a standup comic, though – just try to make the atmosphere in the classroom more friendly and emphasize some key points using humor to help the students remember them better. 

5. Animate Your Slides

Clarity and simplicity are definitely essential for an educational slideshow. But to keep it interesting and dynamic, you can apply a couple of animation effects. By animating the text, you can also choose when to show students extra steps or clues that might provide extra help. You can also add transitions and zoom in on photos. Just make sure you don’t overload the slides to keep the focus on the information. 

6. Get Rid of Any Distractions

You might have noticed that some teachers include banners, headers, and even page numbers in their slides. However, there are very few situations where such information might be required. Such redundant elements distract your students from the content of your slideshow. So, don’t hesitate to remove it.

7. Encourage Students to Participate 

Actively involve students in the learning process by prompting them to ask questions, share their thoughts, and contribute to discussions during the class. Also, take the time to gather feedback from students to reflect on the effectiveness of the slideshow. Take into account how well the material was received, identify areas for improvement, and consider adjustments for future presentations.

Can’t wait to create an educational slideshow for your next class, but not sure about what program to use? Here are some of the best options you can consider. For example, Google Slides and PowerPoint are popular options for many educators. But Google Slides is an online program, so you’ll need a stable Internet connection to use it. PowerPoint can be used offline, but it’s quite an expensive slideshow maker. 

If you’re an experienced user, you can check out some advanced video editors like DaVinci Resolve or iMovie. But if you want a dedicated slideshow maker that is easy to use, then you should try SmartSHOW 3D. This beginner-friendly software offers an extensive set of editing tools, dozens of text styles, and over 700 effects and pre-designed templates.

Summary

Now you know more about using slideshows in teaching. You have discovered a handful of tips to make a slideshow with no hassle. We have also discussed some benefits of using such tools and programs that you can use. It’s time to put it into practice – launch the software you like the most and create a professional-looking slideshow right now!