Google Slides is a popular educational tool used by teachers in both traditional and virtual classrooms. Its wide range of free features allows educators to create engaging, interactive presentations. However, some slide decks can become dull, either boring students or distracting them with too much information. Here are some simple tips to create clear and interactive Google Slides that enhance learning.
1. Cut the clutter to focus student thinking
The Problem: Many slides attempt to cover too much information, becoming text-heavy and cluttered with various design elements like fonts and clip art. Slides are not meant to convey every detail, especially when they accompany a lecture or presentation.
The Upgrade: Approach a slide deck as an outline that emphasizes key points. A streamlined design allows students to focus more on listening and thinking rather than just reading.
- Focus on one primary idea or question per slide.
- Substitute paragraphs and full sentences with key words or phrases.
- Incorporate visuals that aid learning instead of serving as decoration.
- Eliminate elements that do not align with your learning objectives.
- Maintain a consistent font and color scheme throughout your slides.
Try this:
- Revise a text-heavy slide by reducing the text by at least half, converting the remainder into a bulleted list of key points.
- Swap a text block with a supportive visual such as an image, diagram, chart, or video.
- Utilize one of our Free Google Slides themes or templates for a unified appearance.
2. Turn slides into active learning moments
The Problem: Many slide presentations lead to passive observation—students merely watch and listen without engaging in the learning process. Even fascinating content can become monotonous, causing students to lose interest.
The Upgrade: Incorporate slides that prompt active participation from students, encouraging them to think, write, discuss, evaluate, and predict.
- Include prompts for reflection and dialogue.
- Pose questions that require written or verbal responses from students.
- Create slides that challenge students to predict what will happen next.
- Integrate formative assessment checks throughout the presentation.
Try this:
- Replace an explanation slide with a question or prompt that encourages students to predict information rather than passively receive it.
- Add a slide to check understanding after each major topic or idea (Find 25 unique formative assessment ideas here).
- Incorporate a discussion question or a written response prompt after delivering a piece of information.
3. Shift the work from you to your students
The Problem: When Google Slides are only provided by teachers, students miss out on the chance to engage and take ownership of the learning process. Viewing slides is passive and might not foster deeper understanding.
The Upgrade: Instead of offering fully completed presentations, transform slides into workspaces where students actively showcase their learning.
- Encourage students to add slides and contribute to a class presentation.
- Have students create collaborative slide decks to teach peers what they have learned.
- Use slides as spaces for responses, not just as a presentation medium.
Try this:
- Assign each student a specific text section to read and summarize on a Google Slide. Combine the slides to form an informative deck for the entire class.
- Use slides as exit tickets: At the end of a lesson, have each student make a slide demonstrating something they learned. Use these slides as a review before the next class. (Find more exit ticket ideas here.)
- Encourage students to create visuals that help them better understand or explain a topic, and integrate these into your existing slide deck.
4. Design slides students can use without you
The Problem: Many slide decks rely on a teacher’s explanation, making them less effective outside the classroom. They may lack crucial resources, detailed instructions, or examples, leaving students without a complete understanding when reviewing independently.
The Upgrade: Enhance your slides with clearer instructions. While this may seem contrary to reducing content, clarity is key. More text is acceptable when it adds value—just ensure it remains clear and concise.
- Adopt a consistent structure so students can easily locate important information.
- Provide clear, simple activity instructions on your slides instead of only giving verbal explanations.
- Break complex tasks into smaller steps or use a scaffolded approach over multiple slides.
- Include models, examples, and visuals that clarify or expand on concepts.
- Anticipate potential confusion or questions and address them in the slide deck.
Try this:
- Review a slide that provides instructions and evaluate if students would understand the task without your explanation.
- Identify slides that often leave students with questions, and add information or visuals to clarify the content when you’re not available.
- Embed a video explaining a complex concept in more detail, which could even be a recording of yourself sharing the information.
The Problem: Creating effective slide decks demands significant time and effort. Simplifying text, writing instructions, finding appropriate visuals, and incorporating differentiation or interaction can be time-consuming tasks that busy teachers might struggle to manage.
The Upgrade: Save time and effort by using pre-built decks and AI tools. Find or purchase an editable slide deck on your topic or subject that you can modify to your needs. Use a template or theme to streamline the design process when starting from scratch.
AI tools can also be beneficial when crafting Google Slides. Use them to:
- Generate initial drafts of slides that you can refine into finished content.
- Translate your text or lesson notes into slide outlines.
- Quickly and easily differentiate text.
- Create questions to assess understanding.
- Discover images or videos to include in your slides (always credit sources when needed).
- Seek suggestions or ideas to enhance an existing slide deck.
Try this:
- Use an AI tool to review one of your lesson plans and convert it into a basic slide deck outline for you to develop further.
- Simplify a text-heavy slide by employing an AI tool to distill it into key highlights.
- Ask an AI tool for ideas on transforming a passive slide deck into an interactive one that encourages deeper thinking.
Bonus Tip: Make Google Slides Interactive
Think beyond traditional presentations! By incorporating drag-and-drop elements or editable text blocks, you can transform Google Slide decks into interactive activities for students to engage with individually or collaboratively. Consider these ideas for interactive Google Slides:
- Sorting or matching: Students move words, images, or examples into categories (e.g., living vs. nonliving, fact vs. opinion, main idea vs. detail).
- Build the answer: Students arrange words or images.
- Labeling: Students drag labels onto images, maps, or charts to show understanding.
- This or that: Students select between options and justify their thinking on the same slide.
- Click and reveal: Students answer or predict first, then advance to reveal answers or explanations.
Be sure to download your free set of Google Slides templates and themes!
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