Instructional Materials

So what are instructional materials? Every teacher needs supplies and resources in order to have a
successful classroom. Writing utensils, paper, and inspirational wall signs are all useful objects in a
classroom, but they are not instructional materials. Instructional materials are the tools used in
educational lessons, which includes active learning and assessment. Basically, any resource a
teacher uses to help him teach his students is an instructional material. There are many types of
instructional materials, but let's look at some of the most common ones.

Traditional Resources
Traditional resources include any textbooks and workbooks used in the classroom. For example,
language arts classrooms almost always have literature textbooks, writing textbooks, and even
vocabulary and spelling workbooks. In addition to these, traditional resources also include any
supplemental reading material, like novels or poems outside of the textbook.
These materials can really help to introduce new concepts to your students. For example, when
learning the concept of theme, a literature textbook can provide numerous reading materials all
displaying theme in different types of literature. In the same way, workbooks can give some useful
basic practice activities for a new vocabulary words or even writing activities that might be difficult for
students. Then, when mastery is shown on a basic level, a teacher can introduce more challenging
material related to that concept.
To evaluate these traditional resources, the most important aspect is to make sure you choose
material within the resource that appropriately relates to your learning objective. Most textbooks and
workbooks have already been designed to align with certain educational standards and are therefore
very reliable in regards to addressing classroom goals. Still, it is important to be sure to choose
material within the textbooks that matches your specific learning objective.

Graphic Organizers
A second type of instructional material is the graphic organizer, which is any type of visual
representation of information. Diagrams, charts, tables, flow charts, and graphs are all examples of
graphic organizers. For instance, in a math classroom, it is essential to use graphs on a coordinate
plane when learning about the equation of a line so that students can actually see how a line is
graphed. In language arts, Venn diagrams and plot diagrams are clear instructional tools to use
when comparing or analyzing events in a piece of literature. All of these graphic organizers allow
students to physically see relationships between ideas. This is imperative for learning, especially for
students who are more visually oriented. Seeing a clear relationship is always easier than an
abstract idea in your mind.
In fact, having students create their own graphic organizers can be a great way to incorporate active
learning. For instance, you can have students read a short story or even an informational article and
then create their own visual representation of the information. This pushes students to internalize
and apply the information, which requires more thought than simple recall.
To evaluate your graphic organizers, the most important aspect is to make sure they support
learning and are not merely creative distractions. Some materials can be very fun and interesting,
but if they do not support learning, they should not be included in your lesson. For instance, a Venn
diagram on two characters in the novel, A Tale of Two Cities, can be a nice visual, but this is a
higher-level novel and needs a more in depth type of graphic organizer. At this level, a Venn
diagram is just too simple.

Teacher-Made Resources
A last type of instructional material comprises any teacher-made resources. These include
anything the teacher creates, like handouts, worksheets, tests, quizzes, and projects. Many of these
are used for assessment in the classroom, which is determining the level of learning on any given
topic. For instance, different handouts or worksheets can be used throughout a unit to see which
students are getting it and which students are struggling.
Evaluating these materials is very important. Everything a teacher creates must be a true
assessment of the learning objectives. For instance, a test on a more advanced novel needs to show
how a student can apply the concepts of theme, character development, conflict, and other literary
ideas covered in that unit. In this case, simple recall of plot events should take a lesser role in any
teacher-created assessments.

Instructional Materials
 

educational resources used to improve students’ knowledge, abilities, and skills, to

monitor their assimilation of information, and to contribute to their overall
development and upbringing.

There are three basic types of instructional materials: concrete objects, including
objects from the world of nature; representations of concrete objects and phenomena;
and descriptions of such objects and phenomena by means of the signs, words, and
sentences of natural and artificial languages.

The first type of instructional materials includes such objects and phenomena as
minerals, rocks, raw materials, semifinished and finished manufactured articles, and
plant and animal specimens. Included among these materials are reagents and
apparatus for producing chemical and other reactions and for demonstrating and
studying such reactions during laboratory sessions. Also included in the first group are
materials and equipment for students’ expeditions and other travel, as well as supplies,
instruments, and equipment for production training and for courses in drafting and the
representational arts. Among such supplies, instruments, and equipment are wood,
metal, plastic, and glass objects, measuring and monitoring instruments and
equipment, equipment for the assembling and finishing of various products, and
machines and machine tools.
The second type of educational materials, that of representations of actual objects and
phenomena, includes three-dimensional materials (castings, globes, and experimental
models), two-dimensional materials (charts, pictures, photographs, maps, diagrams,
and drawings), and audiovisual materials (motion pictures, film clips, filmstrips, slide
sequences, diapositives, transparencies, records and tape recordings, and radio and
television broadcasts). Audiovisual materials, including the resources of films, radio,
and television, help acquaint students with the achievements of modern science,
technology, industry, and culture and with phenomena that are inaccessible to direct
observation. Audiovisual materials also acquaint students with early periods of history
and with distant places in the world and in space. Such materials elucidate natural and
social phenomena and enable students to study the inner world of matter and the
internal motion of waves, elementary particles, atoms, molecules, and living cells.

The third type of instructional materials, that of written descriptions, includes

scientific, scholarly, reference, and methodological teaching aids, as well as
textbooks, books of problems and exercises, books for recording scientific
observations, laboratory manuals, manuals for production training, and programmed
textbooks.

Another type of instructional materials is technological instructional media. Among

these are equipment for the transmission and assimilation of information recorded on
film or on phonograph recordings: film projectors, tape recorders, phonographs, and
television sets. Monitoring devices include punched cards and various types of
automatic apparatus. Teaching machines include language-laboratory machines,
closed-circuit television systems, and computers.

Instructional materials are made to comply with functional, biotechnological,

aesthetic, economic, safety, and hygienic requirements.

The most effective use of educational equipment is achieved by means of centralized

study facilities.

The Scientific Research Institute for School Materials and Technological Instructional
Media of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of the USSR was founded in 1965 in
Moscow to deal with the theory and development of instructional materials and to
help provide the most efficient and advanced instructional materials for secondary
schools.
Instructional Materials, also known as Teaching/Learning Materials (TLM),[1] are any collection of
materials including animate and inanimate objects and human and non-human resources that a
teacher may use in teaching and learning situations to help achieve desired learning objectives.
Instructional materials may aid a student in concretizing a learning experience so as to make
learning more exciting, interesting and interactive. They are tools used in instructional activities,
which include active learning and assessment.[2] The term encompasses all the materials and
physical means an instructor might use to implement instruction and facilitate students achievement
of instructional objectives.

Instructional materials can be classified by type, including print, visual, and audiovisual, among
others:

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
Computers, graphing calculators, tablets
Interactive

What is Instructional Materials

1.

Instructional materials refer to the human and non-human materials and facilities that can be used to
ease, encourage, improved and promote teaching and learning activities. They are
whatever materials used in the process of instruction. They are a broad range of resource which can be
used to facilitate effective instruction. They indicate a systematic way of designing, carrying out and
employing the total process of learning and communication and employing human and non-human
resources to bring out a more meaningful and effective instruction. They are human and non-human
material that a teacher uses to pass information to the learner in his/her class. Learn more in: Relevance
of the Use of Instructional Materials in Teaching and Pedagogical Delivery: An Overview

2.

Instructional materials are defined as resources that organize and support instruction, such as
textbooks, tasks, and supplementary resources (adapted from Remillard & Heck, 2014 ). Learn more in:
Transforming Preservice Mathematics Teacher Knowledge for and with the Enacted Curriculum: The
Case of Digital Instructional Materials
 Instructional Materials

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 Is It 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 both the breadth and depth of content so that
student learning is optimized.
Examples of Instructional Materials
The following table provides examples and links to resources and tips for the common
types of instructional content.
Common Instructional Content
Types Examples Resources/Tips

Print Materials: Readings, Syllabus,

 Assignment  Create accessible course
 materials
Lesson/Assignment Files, Rubrics,  Rubrics  Develop instructions using
Handouts
 Discussion Prompt the online activity worksheet.

 Plant Pathology 123:

The Irish Potato Famine:
courtesy of Professor
Aurelie Rakotondrafara.
Produced with PowerPoint
and Articulate Storyline
 Screencasts: Statistica
l Programming
Experience: courtesy of
Professor John Gillett,
Produced
with CaptureSpace Lite.
 Narrated PowerPoint
using Camtasia courtesy of
instructor Lisa Lenertz-
Lindemer, Environment,  Screencast information,
Health, & Safety resources, and more examples
 Motivation YouTube  How to use CaptureSpace
Digital Media/Recorded Lectures (Audio
or Video): Movies/TV Clips/ Video Lite to upload video, create a
YouTube, Podcasts, Screencasts, TEDx  TED Talks screencast, and record audio
Talks, etc.
 Podcasts record


o Course
Introduction Video 
courtesy of Professor
Dietram A.Scheufele
o Good and Bad Tips to create an introduction video

Examples of Course  
Course Introduction Video
Welcome  
  Prezi Example: John
Hawks – Intro to
Anthropology Course
o (Tip: use the
arrows to navigate
forward and backward)
 Adobe Captivate
Examples:
o Activity: Match
the skill to the correct
level of Bloom’s
Taxonomy.
o Activity: How  How to create effective
Presentation Materials: Lecture Notes, do you define eLearning presentations
PowerPoint, Prezi, Adobe Captivate)
assessment?  PowerPoint for E-Learning

 Video Example: John
Hawks – Tour of Gibraltar
caves to explore Neandertal
behavior for Human
Evolution: Past and Future
MOOC.  Pedagogical Roles for Video
 Audio Example: Kris in Online Learning
Olds – Interview with Nigel  Develop Your Video
Thrift for Globalizing Higher Presence
Expert Interviews, Guest Speaker Education and Research  Tips for instructional design
Recordings
MOOC. for videos

 Articulate storyline
example courtesy of the
Physical Therapy
Department. Produced by
the DoIT Academic  UW-Madison content
Technology Online Course authoring pilot technologies
Case Studies/Scenarios
Production Team.  Writing case studies

Educational Games
Simulations
Visualizations: Illustrative Pictures,
Graphics, Interactive Data
Third Party Tools and Software
Role Playing
Student-Created Content
 Civics
 Games for Change
 Diffusion Simulation
Game
 Tax Simulation
 Word Clouds
 Infographic
 Diigo Example
 Diigo Outliner Example
 PowToon Example
Thiagi’s Training Games
For the most part any of the
other content types can also
be created by students as an
assignment and then could be
used as examples in your
course.
7 things you should know about
games and learning
Uses, trends & implications for
simulation technologies in education
 Tips for using word clouds in
eLearning
o for reflection and
synthesis
o to enhance critical
thinking
 Tips for using infographics
 Over 100 third-party tools
and services
o for assessment,
content, collaboration, &
interaction
 Tools include:
o Diigo
o Diigo Outliner
o PowToon
 5 ways to use role-playing
 Role playing ideas and
resources
 Role playing assignment
Tips for adding student-generated
content
 The Rapid E-Learning Blog is
a great resource for building 7 things you should know about
Expert Blogs learning. blogs

Open Educational Resources (OER): OERs to explore

Textbooks, Online Articles, Audio or
Video Clips, Links to Online Resources,   Integrating OERs in teaching and
Databases, Examples; Simulations learning
 

 7 things you should know

Websites/Really Simple Syndication
(RSS) feeds
about RSS
 Placing RSS feeds into D2L
using a widget (includes
examples)
 How to add an RSS feed
Website: EDUCAUSE® is a
nonprofit association into Moodle
committed to advancing higher  How to add RSS feed to a
education.
Canvas announcement

Software & Topical Training
Lynda.com is an online
training library of video
tutorials that is available for
free to UW-Madison staff and
students.

Examples of instructional materials include books, pamphlets, games,

maps, textbooks, musical scores, notebooks, films and
videos. Instructional materials can also include manipulative items for in-class
lessons such as protractors, safety goggles, T-squares, blocks, chalk, models,
pencils, rulers and art supplies. Using a variety of instructional materials
allows students with different learning preferences to access the content being
taught and increases the likelihood that all students learn effectively.

Instructional materials can be divided into fixed and flexible materials. In fixed
instructional materials, such as printed textbooks or CDs, the content and
material are indivisible and cannot be altered. While many students learn well
from textbooks, often teachers choose to provide additional learning options
for the students who struggle with reading print.
Flexible instructional materials allow content to be separated from the
presentation of the content. Digital texts, for example, can be manipulated by
enlarging words, using a text-to-speech converter to have the material read
aloud or embedding with additional clickable information. Instructional
materials can also include online resources used to convey information to
students, including open-source material available for downloading.
Some states, school boards or communities have rules regarding the ad

Teaching aids and Instructional materials

Teaching aids (TAs): Teaching aids are objects (such as a book, picture, or
map) or devices (such as a DVD or computer) used by a teacher to enhance or
enliven classroom instruction (Merriam-Webster). They could be audiovisual
teaching aids such as videos and guest lectures or tactile like 3D models.
Instructional materials (IMs): Instructional materials are defined as resources
that organize and support instruction, such as textbooks, tasks, and
supplementary resources (adapted from Remillard & Heck, 2014). It refers to the
human and non-human materials and facilities that can be used to ease,
encourage, improve and promote teaching and learning activities. They are
whatever materials used in the process of instruction (IGI global). The great
Soviet encyclopedia defines IMs as educational resources used to improve
students’ knowledge, abilities, and skills, to monitor their assimilation of
information, and to contribute to their overall development and upbringing.

What are Teaching Aids?

Broadly speaking, any device that helps teach can be called a teaching aid.
These devices can be traditional items such as blackboards and flannel boards
as well as modern devices such as tablets and projectors. Scientific tools such as
telescopes and microscopes could also be used as teaching aids in a given
context. Two overarching common factors between most teaching aids: mediums
that promote sensory engagement and stimulation.

Examples based on classification systems: 

 Classification 1:

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

Electronic – Powerpoint slideshows, videos, Augmented reality/Virtual reality
goggles, AV-room equipment
Auditory: Radios, tape recorders, CD players
Visual: Slides, projectors, digital screens
Audiovisual– Youtube content, Vines (yes, they are helpful), Ted Talks, Live
streams, documentaries

Audiovisual and tactile – 3D models, plants, rocks, field visits

What are Instructional Materials?

Instructional materials are those items that assist the information aspect of
teaching. Not teaching holistically. These could take the form of textbooks,
worksheets, 3D models, charts, infographics, etc.

Instructional materials also include assessment and testing methods. Basically,

any material, any information containing resources which that the teacher uses
while instructing. Now testing materials don’t necessarily contain information, but
they help the retention and learning of information, thus, they are instructional
materials. Sometimes, they are a means to an end, the end being the
assimilation of information.

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
Key differences between Teaching aids and Instructional
materials 
As you’ll see in this article, TAs and IMs work together to reach teaching goals.
However, the traditional separation of TAs and IMs is superficial and needs
revision. It breaks down based on who uses a specific tool and how it is used.
Dictionaries don’t define Instructional materials clearly. This term (IM) is largely
restricted to the literature on specific pedagogies. In fact, the term ‘Instructional
materials’ is used in the context of reaching course-based learning goals. IMs are
specifically designed to be aligned with learning objectives and outcomes.
Whereas teaching aids are not always designed to meet course-based goals.
You might have guessed, the same object can be a TA or an IM.

Example 1: A teacher is using a book in the class; each student has a copy.
If a book is used as a course prescribed resource, it is an instructional material.

If the book is a student engagement activity (reading and discussing a story to

build vocabulary) and isn’t a part of the syllabus, it would function as a teaching
aid.

Example 2: You are studying algae under a microscope.

A microscope would be an instructional material if a course-based learning goal
is ‘using a microscope to study microscopic entities’.

However, a microscope would be a teaching aid for a theory class on algae. A

teacher could use one to show students what it looks like in order to engage the
class in learning about algae.

Traditionally speaking, teaching aids have been thought of as devices that can
be used – white and blackboards, computers, calculators, projectors, slideshows,
tape recordings, television, etc. They are tools that help the delivery of
information. A TA isn’t information, or to put it in a different way, information is
not directly embedded in a TA. But IMs, they often have information embedded in
them. Resource books, worksheets, graphs, etc. are all IMs because of this
embedding. However, tools such as microscopes are IMs if they are precisely
aligned with a teaching objective.
Sometimes, graphic media can be used as both – infographics could be a
teaching aid if they are consequential yet not a core teaching resource or they
can be embedded within a book or used as a way to summarize a larger concept
directly. Digital media is often considered as an Instructional material because
information is embedded in it and it needs planning. This planning eventually is
integrated into the coursework.

An incredible amount of learning takes place online. That’s why teachers have
redesigned & repurposed their content for online delivery.
Teaching aids, Instructional material, and resources
for the digital learning sphere
 Many decades ago, TAs and IMs were focused on classroom activities. However,
the very definition of the classroom has changed. The world has moved online
and online classes are now a valid alternative method of conducting educational
activities. Lectures are presented via ZOOM, Skype, and Microsoft Meetings. All
notes are provided digitally. A typical class appears on a screen as a collection of
students and teachers. What materials and aids work in such a situation? What
are the unique problems of such classes that TA & IMs can solve?
 Most students are very familiar with searching for supplemental material on
the Internet. Most prominently, students use Wikipedia, professional YouTube
channels like In a nutshell, Sci-show, Veritasium, Numberphile and CGP
gray, Reddit (asking questions, finding sources, discussing), and additional
independent content offered by courses on Coursera, Udemy, and Khan
Academy. Many students even run their blogs to show what they learn and jot
down notes. Some make creative videos and run podcasts. These are all self-
motivated alternatives to the use of TAs and IMs. These work because
millennial and gen Z students prefer autonomy and control in how they learn.
They are intrinsically motivated because they have the choice to choose how
they learn. Teachers can facilitate this and tap into this autonomy. Teachers
can also curate these resources for students based on their preferences and
learning goals.
 The search for content online taps into our “transactive memory.” A novel
problem of internet-based learning is the potential to forget what you learn
because humans remember where to find information better than what the
information is (The Google Effect). Many students can now take the time to
look for information because they are good at it. Knowing this, many don’t feel
the value in remembering it. However, remembering information is a
necessary condition to make it “intuitive.”
 There are a number of tools that can be used to present information via
audio and video. Online tools like graph generators, graphic designing, coding
platforms, podcast notes, etc. are alternative digital TAs. Online content
sources (audio & video), discussion threads, e-books, and curated lists are
alternatives to Instructional materials. The largest advantage of this is an
increase in the diversity of thoughts and informational sources – a clear
predictor of quality learning.

 Depending on what students have to learn and what teachers are willing to
teach, any aspect of browsing the internet can be a potential TA or IM. For
example, browsing Amazon for learning about user experience and e-
commerce works as a TA and IM. Most pages on the internet are densely
connected to other pages and because of intimate familiarity with the internet,
it is possible to explore and learn.
Brain-Based Learning: Theory, Strategies, And Concepts
The need for teaching aids and instructional materials
1. Conceptual knowledge requires examples, familiarity with the concept’s
features, contexts, and engagement/experience. These tools directly help.

2. Some academic subjects like biology or electronics can benefit students in

more useful ways if they know what the real-world counterparts to a theory are
– circuits, tissue under a microscope, plants, etc. Such information sticks
longer because the memory encoding for these concepts involves strong
sensory and experiential components. The brain acquires the concept with
multiple representations in a network- right from what the concept looks on
paper to how it feels to the senses. 

3. Using youtube videos and discussing Ted talks puts dense information in a
familiar context. Youtube is a part of human culture, so are memes, putting
information in the context of the internet culture can motivate or change the
perception of the so-called ‘boring’ topics. 

4. IMs and TAs also motivate students at the level of the classroom. This
goes hand in hand with confidence (security that one can learn) as having
materials is proof of accessing information. Having access can, at the very
least, prime students to learn. 
5. Relying on general information on the internet can overwhelm students
due to an inherent lack of direction and potential misinformation. This problem
can be solved by designing IMs to accommodate snowballing around a topic,
using authority references, summarizing content or priming content like video
overviews and infographics.

6. The cost of implementing TAs and IMs is not trivial. However, improved
teaching efficacy and learning efficacy can significantly lower the burden of
learning course content. Teachers may save time, students may require lesser
effort to achieve learning goals, and primary organizational resources would
be better managed (man-hours to pay for, classroom upkeep, scheduling).
And even if it does cost the organization a little more, better learning would
probably always be worth it. 

7. Testing and assessment not only helps to confirm the learning of

content but also helps improve the learning. Research has shown that being
tested (the testing effect) can promote memory and conceptual understanding.
 Attempting worksheet exercises, quizzes, essays, etc. reinforce learning as
well as create a hub for further self-motivated learning. Check out the 1st link
in the articles listed below for referenced research insights.
8. At the superficial level and the definition level, who wouldn’t want a lively
class and learning experience? 

TAs and IMs would work even better if they are aligned with brain-based
learning concepts. These concepts are a framework to design a way the brain
processes information. If TAs and IMs hijack these processes or even reinforce
them, the growth in learning would be dramatic.