The paper suggests ways in which the teacher of English as a second language may use slides to stimulate students by teaching through, and not just about, the slides. Slides are useful when used as a tool to uncover the students' creative and imaginative faculties, which may fail to be discovered through conventional language teaching. The use of slides in the classroom is compared to the use of other visual aids such as filmstrips, film, and photographic prints. The authentic model presented through slides provides the student with information about those individuals who use the language and serves to raise their levels of interest and motivation. Visual aids typically have greater impact and leave a more powerful impression on the audience. With the use of visual aids, it must be remembered: (1) not to overdo their use, (2) to know exactly what one intends to do before one starts, (3) to remain alert to changes and reactions that will occur, and (4) to have the equipment ready to use before starting and to have a practice runthrough. (JK)