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Advantages and Disadvantages of Audio-Visual Aids or Materials in Teaching and Learning

Audio-Visual Aids are those aids that the teacher uses in the classroom to make his teaching meaningful and at the same time make it easy and interesting for students. Educational advantages drawn through the use of audio-visual aids may be summarized below.

Advantages of Audio-Visual Aids or Materials in Teaching and Learning

Use of Maximum Senses: Senses are said to be the gateway to knowledge. Audio-visual aids call for the utilization of as many senses as possible, thus audio-visual aids help to maximize learning on the part of students.

Based on Maxims of Teaching: The teacher also gets assistance from the audio-visual aids for following the maxims of teaching like ‘Simple to Complex’, ‘Concrete to Abstract’, Known to Unknown’ and learning by doing, etc. In turn, it helps in improving the process and products of the teaching-learning process.
A Good Motivating Force: Audio-visual aids are a good motivational force. They match with the inner urges, instincts and basic demands, motives of the students and thus prove a great motivating force for energizing to learn effectively.
Saves Time and Energy: Audio-Visual aids save both time and energy for teachers and students because by these tools the concept and idea take a shape in the mind of students.

Encouraging healthy classroom interaction: Success of teaching-learning act depends upon an appropriate classroom interaction, and audio-visual aids help to maintain that type of interaction in the classroom.
Help in the process of Attention: Attention is the key factor in any process of teaching and learning. Audio-Visual aids help the teaching in creating proper situations and environments for capturing as well as maintaining the interest and attention of the students in classroom activities.

Disadvantages of Audio-Visual Aids or Materials in Teaching and Learning

Films are difficult to obtain and the teacher may have to take permission to use them in the classroom.

To make a proper slide or presentation a considerable amount of time is required.
A teacher may have less time to present himself because presenting audio-visual aids can take more time.
The visual content is a reliable source of education but costly.

A school has to be developed in case to use proper audio-visual aids or we can say that a school must have a lot of reserves.
Learners sometime may develop a wrong interpretation if not fully understood.
Technological equipment needs to be maintained and the requirement of cost and time for that is high.