Content:

4.1. Definition of instructional materials

4.2. Types of instructional materials

4.3. Choosing and Using Instructional Resources

Introduction:

Please watch this video:

(146) Instructional Materials - Purpose and Guidelines for Selecting IMs - YouTube

How are the instructional materials connected to the objectives of your lesson plans?

What are the guidelines to select instructional materials?

4.1. Definition of instructional materials

*What are instructional materials?

Instructional materials, also known as Teaching and Learning Materials (TLM), are a vital component of the teaching and learning process. When used well, they can support learning and aid a learner in concretizing a learning experience and make learning more exciting, interesting and interactive.

Instructional Materials or Teaching and Learning Materials are resources that a teacher may use in teaching and learning situations to help achieve desired learning objectives and to facilitate the teaching and learning process.

Instructional materials are the content or information conveyed within a course. These include the lectures, readings, textbooks, multimedia components, and other resources in a course. These materials can be used in both face-to-face and online classrooms; however, some must be modified or redesigned to be effective for the online environment. The best instructional materials are aligned with all other elements in the course, including the learning objectives, assessments, and activities.

*Why are instructional materials important?

Instructional materials provide the core information that students will experience, learn, and apply during a course. They hold the power to either engage or demotivate students. This is especially true for online courses, which rely on a thoughtful and complete collection of instructional materials that students will access, explore, absorb, and reference as they proceed in a course.

Therefore, such materials must be carefully planned, selected, organized, refined, and used in a course for the maximum effect. The planning and selection of instructional materials should take into consideration the depth of content so that student learning is optimized.

Teaching and learning materials can also add important structure to lesson planning and the delivery of instruction. Learning materials act as a guide for both the teacher and the learner. They can provide a valuable routine in the teaching and learning process. For example, by providing a summarizing poster or video after each topic.

In addition to supporting learning more generally, teaching and learning materials can assist teachers in the differentiation of instruction. Differentiation of instruction is the tailoring of lessons and instruction to the different learning styles and capacities within your classroom. Learning materials such as worksheets, videos, group activity instructions, or any other, all allow teachers to modify them to best activate each individual learner's needs or learning style, for example by using different media.

4.2. Types of instructional materials

*How can we classify instructional materials?

* What is the difference between Authentic materials and Non-authentic materials?

Teaching materials come in many shapes and sizes, but they all have in common the ability to support learning. The purpose and importance of teaching and learning materials is to make lessons interesting, learning easy and enable teachers to easily express concepts.

There are many types or categories of resources that teachers can use to support the teaching and learning process. Some resources or more traditional, others are more innovative.

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Classification 1:

Non-electronic – Chalkboards, flip boards, slates, photos, telescopes

Electronic – Powerpoint slideshows, videos, Augmented reality/Virtual reality goggles, AV-room equipment

Classification 2:

Auditory: recordings, podcasts...

Visual: Slides, pictures...

Audiovisual– Youtube content, Ted Talks, Live streams, documentaries...

Classification 3:

Traditional resources: lectures, talks, writings, project rubrics, guidelines, textbook primers, reference books, extra-readings, teacher and student-created summaries, workbooks, supplementary material such as flashcards and charts

Digital media: Videos, photos, presentations

Open resources: Expert blogs, open-source journals, public databases, open courseware, forums

Testing resources: Standardized tests, classroom assignments, online submissions, quizzes, essays, collaborative projects

Classification 4:

Print:	Textbooks, pamphlets, handouts, study guides, manuals
Audio:	Cassettes, microphone, podcast
Visual:	Charts, real objects, photographs, transparencies
Audiovisual:	Slides, tapes, films, filmstrips, television, video, multimedia
Electronic Interactive:	Computers, graphing calculators, tablets

Classification 5:

Authentic materials: They refer to items that have not been designed for use in an English language classroom such as realia (Realia are real objects such as real specimens of plants or animals and real machines or tools as they are known to exist or used in life), maps, newspaper, travel brochures, songs, video clips, radio or TV show, real telephone conversations, etc.

Non Authentic Materials: They refer to anything that has been designed specifically to aid the teaching process such as worksheets, textbooks, video lessons, etc.

4.3. Choosing and Using Instructional Resources

Please read this chapter from the book:

Science Teaching Reconsidered: A Handbook

Chapter 7: Choosing and Using Instructional Resources | Science Teaching Reconsidered: A Handbook | The National Academies Press (nap.edu)

Answer this question:

*What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Textbooks?

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