Here are 7 tips for creating PowerPoint slides that
will help you teach effectively:
1. Focus on your intent.
What goal or intent do you have in this teaching?
How will the slides help students learn?
2. Create slides that are read easily.
We want students to be able to see and read our material easily. This
means following these conventions:
Focus on one main idea per slide
Use point form, where possible
Select approx. 3-6 lines per slideleave room for white
space
Use font size of at least 20 pt, of a popular font e.g.
Verdana
Test for readability
Dont use all block capitals
Use graphics (appropriately) to illustrate key items
Use maximum of 3 colours, avoid vivid patterns in
background,
Avoid using red or green fonts, (colour blindness) Ensure that the text is in
contrast to the background.
Some suggest that light print on a dark background draws
the eyes to the light.
Use cartoons, animations, sound or transitions sparingly,
where you are comfortable with them, and sparingly. Often less is more.
Limit boldface, italics and underlining
Use organizers such as titles, sub-titles or key questions
to signal your audience where you are in your outline. Be consistent with
terminology from title to title, etc.
Ensure that diagrams are clear and easily read. You
may have to re-format or re-draw.
Some advise planning 2 minutes of talk, etc. per slide.
Check spelling and grammar.
3. Use PowerPoint slides to provide an outline.
Use slides to help organize the lecture, talk or
discussion, and to help students follow the lecture.
Provide an overview or outline on a slide at the beginning
and consistently refer to it perhaps by replicating the slide every time you
change concepts or topics or skills. Show where you are in this new phase
of the outline.
An outline is different from providing the objectives of
your talk.
4. Use slides for photos, diagrams, formulae, etc.
Use the slides to provide clear diagrams and accurate
formulae or quotations.
Avoid writing these on the board, and/or referring to them
orally.
Clearly drawn (or re-drawn) slides ensure that the students
see them clearly and to have copies of them, and allow you to point to aspects
of them.
5. Reinforce oral points.
Use slides to reinforce the points that you are making
orally.
Provide visual pointers or cues to emphasize the learning,
by matching the words and/or graphics on the screen to what participants are
hearing.
Slides can help audience members to take notes.
Avoid putting all of your comments on slides.
6. Use slides to complement your talk.
Do not put everything you plan to say in your talk on the
slides.
Use slides to pose questions and then move from PowerPoint
presentation mode to discussion mode.
7. Use slides suitable for work with larger groups.
Provide signals for discussion in the interactive parts of
the lecture on PowerPoint slides
A slide could contain a provocative question for groups to
consider
A slide could contain a statement that requires students to
take a side
A slide could contain instructions for group work/partner
activities
Blank the screen for discussions.
