"The slides in your presentation are the main focal point of the lesson — they should contain as much information as possible so learners can follow along."
As Jaco explained in the video, the teacher is always the focal point of any lesson. Everything on the screen is meant to support and supplement the teacher — not replace them. Overloading slides with text creates a problem: learners start reading the screen instead of listening to you. A presentation is not the same as learner notes.
"Revealing slide content piece by piece — rather than all at once — helps reduce cognitive overload by keeping learner attention where you need it."
This is exactly what Jaco called triggering information. When an entire screen appears at once, learners' eyes wander to content you haven't spoken about yet — creating a split in attention. By revealing content progressively, you direct exactly where learners look and align it with what you are saying at that moment.
"Signalling only refers to using digital annotation tools like arrows on screen — traditional pointers and laser clickers are no longer considered effective."
Jaco made it clear that Signalling includes many approaches — bold text, colour changes, annotation tools, drawn arrows, and even traditional physical tools like a long ruler or a laser-pointer clicker. These all serve the same purpose: guiding learner attention to the most important element on screen at a given moment. No method is outdated if it works.
"Using a consistent template throughout your presentation is mainly a matter of personal taste and has no real effect on how learners process the content."
The video highlighted consistency as one of the three core aesthetic principles, alongside legibility and imagery. When fonts, colours, and graphics are consistent, learners don't waste mental effort adjusting to new visual styles — they can focus on the content. Pre-designed templates are specifically recommended because they enforce this consistency automatically.
"A minimum recommended font size for on-screen presentation text is 20pt, because anything smaller makes it difficult for learners to read from a distance."
Jaco specifically mentioned 20pt as the minimum recommended font size, with 28pt being even more effective for readability. Legibility was described as the starting point of everything — if learners cannot read the screen, nothing else matters. This doesn't mean you can't go smaller when you have a lot of content, but you should always aim as large as possible.
"Using images and icons in your presentation is a nice-to-have but doesn't significantly affect how well learners remember the content."
Jaco cited research showing that people are becoming increasingly visual learners, and that images create powerful memory anchors. When a learner connects an image to a concept during a lesson, they are more likely to recall that concept in an assessment — the image acts as a retrieval cue. This is particularly relevant given the visual-rich environment learners are exposed to (TikTok, Instagram, etc.).