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Making a Place for PowerPoint in EFLClassrooms
Graham Taylor
Nanzan University
It often seems that language teaching and particularly foreign language teaching is thepoor “red-headed step-brother” within the academic community and literature. This iscertainly true in the case of using presentation tools like PowerPoint (PPT) and Keynote
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in business and in many streams of tertiary education (Doumont, 2005; Flamm, 2008;
Gabriel, 2008; Johnson & Sharp, 2005; Tufte, 2003), publications on the use of PPT
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counter arguments against these criticisms and attempts to justify the use of PPT in
EFL classrooms by suggesting a simple pedagogy for its use. Finally, this article provides
readers with examples of how PPT can be used to create fast-paced, dynamic lessons,which provide more time for class activities and improved student attentiveness without
increasing teachers’ workloads.

The Case Against PowerPoint
There are several arguments against the use, or rather misuse, of PPT in
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to create passive students who assume no responsibility in determining thedirection and outcome of a lesson (Johnson & Sharp, 2005). This occurs
primarily because some teachers assume that students are “blank slates” readyWREHÀOOHGDVZHOODVWKHIDFWWKDWPDQ\WHDFKHUVDUHXQZLOOLQJRUXQDEOHWR
deviate from their pre-determined course to engage in authentic interaction
with students (Flamm, 2008; Johnson & Sharp, 2005). The problem ofpassivity is not exclusively the domain of students either. Voss (2004) points
41Taylorout that students “feel ignored” when instructors are passive users of PPT,
users who focus on their presentation tool rather than using it as a means toengage their audience.
A second argument against the use of PPT is provided by Murphy (2006)
and Tufte (2003) who warn of the harmful effects that “sequentiality” hason audience comprehension when the audience is not allowed to see the ‘big
picture’ because the presenter controls access to the content. From a morepractical standpoint, teachers also voice concerns over the amount of timerequired to prepare a PPT lesson (Li & Walsh, 2010, pp. 112-113). While
this list is far from exhaustive, it serves to show that PPT, while widely used,
is not always readily accepted as a viable teaching tool within the academic
community.

Using PowerPoint Effectively
Combating Student Passivity and Avoiding “Sequentiality”
Proponents of PPT often begin their rebuttal by reminding users that
it is merely a tool for instruction, and that the users must carry the burdenof blame for the above criticisms (Flamm, 2008). Gabriel (2008, p. 266)
points out that criticisms of PPT are often directed at examples of poor use,compared to an “ideal lecture situation” without PPT. At the same time, thetraditional lecture style itself has come under attack for its ineffectiveness(Berret, 2012). The common thread from these two counter-arguments is thatteachers must become skillful, rather than abusive users of PPT, to ensure thatneither students nor teachers become merely passive receptacles or presentersof information.
The criticism that PPT lessons treat students as “blank slates” can beaddressed by using PPT as a tool to facilitate participation and discussion. For
example, in Figure 1 review questions of a previous lesson are presented ona slide as a cloze exercise. Students must provide the missing words and thenconduct a conversation. In another example, showing students a photo (Figure2), and giving them the responsibility to discuss in pairs “What is happening?”
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Making a Place for PowerPoint..., OnCUE Journal, 6(1), pages 41-51

and “Who’s in the picture?” is a great way to provide context for a lesson.
Vocabulary can also be elicited from this slide by asking students to think
RI  ÀYH QRXQV YHUEV RU DGMHFWLYHV RU E\ DVVLJQLQJ WKHP WR ÀQG ZRUGV WKDWstart with A, B, C, etc. In a third example, warm-up questions are drilledby the teacher. However, each question is displayed only after students haveattempted to repeat the question. The use of animation/transitions (Figure 3)
ensures students focus their attention on listening to the sounds spoken by theteacher, but rewards students with the opportunity to check the accuracy of
their listening immediately after repeating. Each example uses PPT to ensure
students are actively contributing and participating in the lesson.

Figure 1. A cloze exercise is presented on a PPT slide to review material from a previous
lesson.

Figure 2. A photo can be used to present context for a lesson and build vocabulary.

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TaylorFigure 3. Animation is used to present each question individually, after it has been drilled by the
instructor.

The criticism that PPT lessons are sequential and lack student input canbe addressed by avoiding the rigidness of prepared slides. Hunter (2007)
SRLQW RXWV WKDW WKLV FDQ EH DFKLHYHG E\ XVLQJ DQ RSHQ 06 :RUG ÀOH ZLWKthe font adjusted to an appropriate size) which is cycled to (by pressing ALT+ TAB) and used in place of a whiteboard to include input from students.
For example, a teacher could complete a listening task by eliciting sections of
the listening script from the students. This way the teacher can maintain eye
contact with students and better assist them in the process of reconstruction,rather than turning his or her back on them and blocking their view whilewriting sentences on the board. Not only is typing faster than writing on theboard, but typed words are more legible. Additionally, having multiple PPTÀOHVRSHQVLPXOWDQHRXVO\DOORZVWHDFKHUVWRHDVLO\FKDQJHWKHRUGHULQZKLFKD
class is presented (Hunter, 2007).
However, being able to incorporate technology this way does not meanthat teachers have to incorporate it. My preference is to introduce grammar
on the whiteboard, as it is easier to draw arrows and underline. Using PPT topresent other aspects of the lesson, such as vocabulary, useful expressions,and warm up questions, means I have more space available on the whiteboard
for grammar and other activities. Choosing the most suitable way to present
44Making a Place for PowerPoint..., OnCUE Journal, 6(1), pages 41-51

information is about understanding and matching the content of the lesson to
the needs and mood of the class. Likewise, teachers should not feel compelledWR VKRZ DOO RI  WKHLU 337 VOLGHV 6OLGHV WKDW GR QRW ÀW ZLWK WKH ÁRZ RI  WKHlesson can be skipped. Important tangents need to be addressed when they are
created by students, and so, as always, one must teach in the moment.
Time Returns and Pace
On a more practical level, a very important concern to address is that
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consuming to produce, once a template has been created, teachers need only
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subsequent weekly lesson plans. Furthermore, if teaching the same lesson thefollowing year, teachers may only need to make minor revisions to the lesson
SODQEHFDXVHDOORI WKHLUKDUGZRUNZLOOKDYHEHHQVDYHGLQWKHÀOHMore importantly, however, the extra planning time teachers allocate to
PPT is rewarded by time gained in their class. Teachers will have more time tomonitor student progress, adapt their lesson, and provide feedback because,with the push of a button, several sentences can appear instantly. Likewise,
students are rarely left waiting and watching the teacher write something on theboard. Teachers using PPT can also maintain a better pace in their classroom,
which leads to more focused, attentive, on-task students, thereby leading to
improved learning outcomes.
General Rules for PowerPoint
To be effective, PPT must be used properly in EFL classrooms andtherefore requires a pedagogical framework. While providing a comprehensive
pedagogy for PPT is beyond the scope of this paper, the following points canplay an important role in informing and determining that pedagogy.
First, teachers must examine the aims and organization of an EFL
classroom and differentiate them from a typical university lecture. Thus,
rather than focusing on the dissemination of information, like most lectures
do (Berrett, 2012), current trends in EFL pedagogy call for student-centered45

Taylorlesson plans, with student-student interaction forming the core of the lesson(Jones, 2007; Ogawa & Wilkinson, 1997; Ward, Wade, & Dowling, 2008, pp.1314). Consequently, in EFL lessons PPT should be called upon sparingly andused in short bursts, with only the same frequency that EFL teachers would
use more traditional forms of audio-visual aids, such as blackboards and CD
players.
In keeping with Flamm’s (2008) aphorism that “less is more”, which isprobably the most pertinent advice EFL instructors need follow when using
PPT, an entire oral communication class can be managed with only six PPT
slides, such as in the following example:(1) Review previous class topic with several question prompts.
(2) Introduce a new topic with a thematic picture.
(3) Present and drill warm-up questions.
(4) Model language through an embedded video clip.
(5) Elicit additional vocabulary on the topic with additional pictures.
(6) Assign homework.
With these six slides, as little as 5-10 minutes of PPT time during a 90-minute
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Ideas and Hints%HIRUHÀQLVKLQJ,ZRXOGOLNHWRRIIHUDIHZKHOSIXOKLQWVDVZHOODVDOLVW
of rules to help eager teachers get started. For teachers who have never used
PPT, the best way to begin is with just a few slides, and a simple textbox. No
animations/transitions, special formatting, or knowledge about graphic design
is required. Try PPT for just one class, and expand from there.
Instructions and classroom language. Use PPT to display usefulexpressions such as language for checking answers or teaching vocabulary. I
have found students very willing to use prompts such as, “What’s number 1?”
and “Do you agree?” when made available (Figure 4). With repetition, thislanguage becomes second nature. Additionally, students who are off-task canbe brought quickly back to attention by blacking out the screen (pressing ‘B’key). Suddenly the focus in the room shifts from the screen to the teacher.
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Making a Place for PowerPoint..., OnCUE Journal, 6(1), pages 41-51

Students who were copying rather than listening, have nothing to copy, andVWXGHQWVZKRZHUHFKDWWLQJRII WRSLFÀQGWKHPVHOYHVVXUURXQGHGE\VLOHQFH
You will have their attention.
Also, use pictures to reinforce verbal instructions, because pictures
lower students’ cognitive load and translate meaning directly (Healy, 2011).
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into less than a minute explanation and can be received with a high level ofunderstanding without the use of any L1 by simply adding a few diagrams andanimations.

Figure 4. Prevent students from slipping into L1 by presenting classroom language for different
activities.

Making textbooks and grammar interactive. If you can project yourslides onto a whiteboard, you can scan a page from your book, add it to aslide and project your slide directly onto the whiteboard. Have students comeWRWKHZKLWHERDUGDQGÀOOWKHLUDQVZHUVLQGLUHFWO\RQWRWKHSURMHFWHGLPDJH
This allows students to interact with the textbook directly, and it provides
them with a clear image of the correct answer. You can also do grammar workon the board the same way, by projecting sentences onto the board and thenhaving students make changes with white board markers.

47

Taylor

Vocabulary. Use PPT to display images of key vocabulary, elicit the
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Alternatively, display vocabulary and then add a list of meanings or cloze
sentences. Have students work in pairs to match the vocabulary items to thelist. In both cases, students can quickly and actively achieve a high level ofcomprehension, without dictionaries and without any verbal explanation.
Listening. Project a word cloud (http://www.wordle.net) of a listening
text and use it as a pre-listening task where students guess what they’ll belistening to (Hockly, 2010). Next, during the listening activity, improve student
comprehension by using several pictures that match themes or vocabulary in
the listening script.
)ROORZ XS D GLFWDWLRQ H[HUFLVH E\ ÁDVKLQJ WKH GLFWDWHG VHQWHQFH RQ WKHboard. Display the sentence only for an instant, and then have students discussand correct their answers.
General Guidelines
The following list of points guides teachers clear of trouble when using
PPT.
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one slide at that size, use two or more slides, but do not squeeze!
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lesson plan notes. Knowing what slide comes next ensures smoothtransitions and delivery. It also enables you to accurately skip several
slides, or present your slides out of order with relative ease. Additionally,
after class, invite any interested students to view and take notes of yourlesson slides.
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computer, especially in large rooms where the video connection is in
the corner. With a remote control device, you are able to roam the48

Making a Place for PowerPoint..., OnCUE Journal, 6(1), pages 41-51

classroom, answer questions, monitor student activity, all while providing
or hiding the information on your slides. It is the best purchase I havemade in the last four years!
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or marking aspects of phonetics are best done on a whiteboard. Think
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the students in your class before performing each task.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I hope that by opening this discussion on PPT, teachers
who have been putting off experimenting with PPT will now feel motivatedto try integrating it into their classroom. Furthermore, I hope that teachers
who have already incorporated this technology will continue to innovate anddiscuss the development of its use in EFL. In closing, as PPT continues toUHGHÀQHWKHQDWXUHRI SUHVHQWDWLRQLQ()/FODVVURRPVDQGLQDOORI DFDGHPLD
it is incumbent upon teachers to always strive to be active users of PPT by
ensuring that it enhances, rather than detracts from the goals of the classroom.
Graham Taylor is a part-time instructor at a number of universities in the Nagoya area.
His research interests include writing portfolios, assessment methodology, syllabus design,and professional development. He welcomes further discussion and debate about the use ofPowerPoint in EFL.gtaylora@alumni.sfu.ca.
Received: December 15, 2011
Accepted: March 29, 2012

References
Berret, D. (2012, February 5). Harvard conference seeks to jolt university
teaching. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://
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Doumont, J. (2005). The cognitive style of PowerPoint: Slides are not all
evil. Technical Communication, 52(1). Retrieved from http://mit.edu/5.95/
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Taylorreadings/doumont-responds-to-tufte.pdf
Flamm, M. W. (2008). The promise and pitfalls of PowerPoint. Perspectives on
History, 46(3). Retrieved from http://www.historians.org/perspectives/
issues/2008/0803/0803vie2.cfm
Gabriel, Y. (2008). Against the tyranny of PowerPoint: Technologyin-use and technology abuse. Organization Studies, 29(02), 255-276.
doi:10.1177/0170840607079536
Healy, S. (2011, July). Motivation and the use of visual images. Paper presented at
CUE 2011 Conference: Foreign Language Motivation in Japan, Tokyo,
Japan.
Hockly, N. (2010, November). Five ways to integrate technology into language
teaching. Plenary presentation at JALT 2010 Creativity: Think outside thebox, Nagoya, Japan.
Hunter, L. (2007). Orchestrating PowerPoint. The Language Teacher, 31(1), 2426.
Johnson, K., & Sharp, V. (2005). Is PowerPoint crippling our students?
Learning & Leading with Technology, 33(3). Retrieved from http://www.eric.
ed.gov/PDFS/EJ728912.pdf
Jones, L. (2007). The student-centered classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Li, L., & Walsh, S. (2010). Technology uptake in Chinese EFL classes.
Language Teaching Research, 15(1), 99-125. doi:10.1177/1362168810383347
Murphy, D. (2006). PowerPointless. The Christian Century, 123(15). Retrieved
from http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=3469
Ogawa, N., & Wilkinson, D. (1997). Let the students teach their class.
The Internet TESL Journal, 3(12). Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/
Techniques/Ogawa-StudentsTeach.html
Tufte, E. (2003). PowerPoint is Evil. Wired, 11(9). Retrieved from http://
www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html
Voss, D. (2004). PowerPoint in the classroom; Is it really necessary? Cell
Biology Education, 3(3), 155-156. doi:10.1187/cbe.04-06-0045
Ward, D., Wade, L., & Dowling, A. (2008). Pushing the student-centered50

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envelope: A corporate meeting-style approach. The Language Teacher,32(9), 13-17.

Suggested Readings
http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/prep.html
http://www.presentationzen.com/
http://www.slideshare.net/jessedee/you-suck-at-powerpoint

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