The Slide Rules - When and how to use slideware for teaching - Better, more conscious use of slideware

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Jake

Focuses on practical classroom guidance for using slideware to strengthen learning outcomes through more conscious presentation design. Emphasizes planning with pen and paper before opening slide software, prioritizing visual content to avoid information overload, and using slides to support interaction rather than passive reading. Also addresses how to handle text on slides, remember speaking points with visuals and notes, and extend beyond slides using whiteboards and flip charts for co-creation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

The Slide Rules

Rule number one: Use pen and paper for planning

Rule number two: Use visual content

Text on slides and common questions

Rule number three: Use other visual media too

THE SLIDE RULES When and how to use slideware for teaching When and how to use slideware for teaching Better, more conscious use of slideware is one of the easiest improvements we can make to our teaching – and it is a change which is fulfilling in itself. The following rules are based on the existing research in slide use. The verdict of the literature is relatively unanimous, so making a list of rules for slide use in the classroom is practically sound. The rules are not cumulative and can be applied individually as it suits you. Rule number one: Use pen and paper for planning The biggest problem with a program like PowerPoint is the default settings. These make it easy to get started, but they also quickly lock the user into one pattern of use. We all know this pattern, and it isnot compatible with contemporary theories of learning. In order to break this default pattern, the first rule of slide use is to not open the program until you have planned your class/lecture and decided what needs visual support. Pen and paper work better for this planning phase in which you want to quickly brainstorm various ideas foryour class/lecture and – at some point – which slides that could support your chosen activities/ arguments. Crucially this approach allows us to dispense with slides altogether if it turns out that they are not relevant to the learning activities or the argument we are planning. Rule number two: Use visual content The literature tells us that simultaneous visual and auditory input strengthens understanding and retention. However, we do not want people reading while listening since this will quickly cause information overload and force students to choose between the two channels. The solution is to use images, charts, drawings, timelines and other strictly visual content to substantiate and explain what we are talking about. When we use these kinds of visuals, we also make it easier for ourselves as teachers to speak with rather than to our students engaging together in explaining, exploring and interpreting the visual content. In other words, it helps us teach in a way which prompts our students’ interaction with the material, their teacher and each other. And this is compatible with current pedagogical theory. Example of slides using mostly visual content – © Bodil N. Madsen, Hanne E. Thomsen, Anna O. Ingram & Pia L. Hoffmann. Two questions usually crop up at this point. First question: No text at all? To be clear, text is fine as long as it’s either instantly readable (short statements/assertions) or you give your students the required time to read it. Thus, headers such as “Danish students are better than their reputation” are fine and well – assuming that the visual content underneath supports, explains or illuminates that statement. Questions and quotes and other actual text are also perfectly fine as a starting point for learning activities – assuming that you give your students time to read through it. What we must avoid is putting our student in a dilemma between listening and reading. Second question: How can I remember what to say without my synoptic slides? Hopefully you will find that it is rather easier to speak extemporaneously once you have some visual content to talk about. But more importantly, using visual content forces you to think about what you want your students to do with it; i.e. which learning activities you want to initiate. And so, perhaps you will find that you won’t have to talk as much. Also, there is nothing wrong with having a sheet of paper with your cue words on it or using your slideware’s note function. A third question also suggests itself: What if what I want to talk about doesn’t lend itself to visualization? Then you will often use key terminology as visual input. And this can often be arranged in a more visually meaningful way than just as a bulleted list. Maybe there’s an antithetical relationship between terms. Or they belong in partly o

FAQs

Why is planning with pen and paper recommended before using slide software?

Default slide-program settings can lock instructors into a single pattern. Planning first helps decide what needs visual support and allows slides to be skipped when they are not relevant to the learning goals.

What kinds of slide content should be used to improve understanding and retention?

Use strictly visual content such as images, charts, drawings, and timelines to substantiate explanations. Visuals support interaction and reduce the tendency for students to choose between listening and reading.

How should teachers manage text on slides and avoid overwhelming students?

Text is acceptable when it is instantly readable or when students are given sufficient time to read. Avoid placing students in a dilemma between listening and reading, and ensure any text is supported by the visuals.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Jake