Teaching Aids and Instructional Materials
Teaching Aids and Instructional Materials
Teaching Aids and Instructional Materials
In this article, I’ll be covering how the teachers of tomorrow can leverage digital
interactions and technology to facilitate learning. Traditionally speaking, we are
talking about teaching aids and instructional materials.
If you want to know WHY these help in learning, you can read this article on
the psychology and neuroscience behind it.
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.
Classification
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.
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 alternate 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
millenial and gen Y 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 “transactional 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 tools which can be used to present information via
audio and video. Most notably, 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.