INSTRUCTIONAL

MATERIALS
The role of materials
(Cunningsworth, 1995)

A resource for presentation materials

A source of activities for learner practice and
communicative interaction
A reference source for learners on grammar,
vocabulary, pronunciation, and so on
A source of stimulation and ideas for
classroom activities
A syllabus
A support for less experienced teachers
The functions of materials
As a source of language
As a learning support
For motivation and stimulation
For reference

(Dudley-Evans & St. John,

1998)
Advantages of using textbooks
Provide structure and a syllabus for a program
Help standardize instruction
Maintain quality
Provide a variety of learning resources
Be efficient
Provide effective language models and input
Train teachers
Visually appealing
Negative effects of textbooks
May contain inauthentic language
May distort content
May not reflect students needs
Can deskill teachers
Be expensive
Types of Instructional Materials
Printed Materials
Advantages
Available to learner in absence of teacher
Widely acceptable, familiar
Readily available, relatively cheap
Convenient form
Learner controls rate of reading
Content easily altered to target specific
audiences
Printed Materials

Disadvantages:
Most abstract form of reality
Immediate feedback limited
Proper reading level essential for full
usefulness
Less useful with low literate learners or
visually or cognitively impaired learners
Inappropriate for illiterate learners
Evaluating Printed Materials
Consider:
Nature of the audience
Literacy level required
Linguistic variety available
Brevity and clarity
Layout and appearance
Opportunity for repetition
Concreteness and familiarity
Kinds of Instructional Materials
I. Printed Materials
a. Textbooks
b. Supplemental materials
1. Workbooks
2. Duplicated Outlines
3. Teacher-prepared study guides
4. Reference Books
5. Pamphlets
6. Magazine Articles
7. Newspapers
Kinds of Instructional Materials

II. Audio Aids

1. Radio
2. Phonograph
3. Tape Recorders
PRINTED
MATERIALS
 Printed materials include
textbooks, fiction and nonfiction
books, booklets, as well as word-
processed documents prepared by
students and teachers.
Textbooks have long been the
foundation of classroom
instruction.
ADVANTAGES
 AVAILABILITY. Printed materials are readily
available on a variety of topics and in many
different formats.

FLEXIBILITY. They are adaptable to many

changes to many purposes and may be used
in any well-lit environment.

PORTABILITY. They are easily carried from

place to place and do not require any
equipment or electricity.
 USER FRIENDLY. Properly designed
printed materials are easy to use, not
requiring special effort to navigate
through them.

ECONOMICAL. Printed materials are

relatively inexpensive to produce or
purchase and can be reused.
In fact, some may be obtained free, as
described in Chapter 4.
LIMITATIONS
 READING LEVEL. The major limitation of
printed materials is that they are written
at a certain reading level.

MEMORIZATION. Some teachers require

students to memorize many facts and
definitions.

VOCABULARY. Some texts introduce a

large number of vocabulary terms and
concepts in a short amount of space.
 ONE-WAY PRESENTATION. Since most
printed materials are not interactive, they
tend to be used in a passive way, often
without comprehension.

CURRICULUM DETERMINATION. Sometimes

textbooks dictate the curriculum rather
than being used to support the curriculum.

CURSORY APPRAISAL. Selection committees

might not examine textbooks carefully.
Integration
The most common application of printed
materials is presenting information.
Students are given reading assignments
and are held accountable for the material
during class discussions and on tests.

Teacher-made handouts can also

complement a teachers presentation, or
students may use them as they study
independently.
 Printed materials are used in all subject
areas and with students of all ages once
they learn to read. The media center is a
source of a variety of printed materials
on countless topics and in almost every
conceivable format.

Guidelines and examples are found in

When to Use Printed Materials.
When to Use Printed Materials

GUIDELINES EXAMPLES
High school students
read an assigned
. . . reading printed chapter from the
information for course textbook.
which they will be
held accountable Student use library
books, encyclopedias,
or newspapers to add
. . . supplementing to their knowledge of
teacher-presented a topic.
material
. . . using handouts Students use a step-
that guide them by-step guide to
through learning write a book report.
activities

. . . implementing an Students survey, ask

SQ3R method questions, read,
recite, and review
printed information
about the Bill of
Rights.
Supplemental
Materials
Supplemental Print Material
Print media, including photographs, reproductions of
pictures, drawings, murals, cartoons, and other print
materials are valuable supplemental aids. Charts,
diagrams, and graphs are also in this category. Many of
these items are suitable for long-term use on bulletin
boards and in briefing areas. Pictures, drawings, and
photographs are especially effective because they provide
common visual imagery for both instructors and
students. In addition, they also provide realistic details
necessary for visual recognition of important subject
material. In many cases, this type of supplemental
training media may be reproduced in a format for
projection on a screen or other clear surface.
Supplemental Print Material
Numerous other useful print items
may be considered as supplemental
training aids. Some of these include
study guides, exercise books, course
outlines, and syllabi. Well-designed
course outlines are especially useful to
students because they list the key
points and help students organize note
taking during a lecture.
 Workbook
Printedmaterialaccompanying
a course text (textbook) that
containsexercises,problems,
andpracticematerial to clarify
and reinforce the lessons
presented in the textbook

Advantages
Workbooks are often used in schools for younger students, either in
middle schoolorelementary school. They are favored because students can
work directly in their books, eliminating the need forlooseleafand copying
questions from a textbook. In industry, they may be customized interactive
manuals which are used to help provide structure to an otherwisecomplex
problem.

Workbooks also hold an advantage because they are usually smaller and lighter
than textbooks, which equates to less trouble when the student brings the book
home to complete theirhomework.

The term workbook is also used to describe other compilations of questions

that require the reader to completescratch-workwhen dealing with higher-
level mathematics. It can also be used as a training tool for certain job
positions.

More recently, electronic workbooks have permitted interactive and

customized learning. Such workbooks may be used on computers, laptops,
PDAs, and may be web-based.
 Handouts
The quality of handouts that is acceptable may
vary depending on their purpose and your
situation. Generally speaking, using a
xerographic photocopier or offset equipment
produces the most professional-looking copies.
No matter what method you choose, the
handouts you give your students should be clear,
logical, straightforward, concise, error-free, and
above all legible.
Teacher Prepared
Study Guide
Study guidescan be broad based
to facilitatelearningin a
number of areas, or be
resources that foster
comprehension of literature,
research topics, history, and
other subjects.
Reference Books
Reference books, Atlas,
dictionary, directory,
encyclopedia, handbook,
thesaurus, or any other work
designed to be used in finding
specific items of information,
rather than for cover to cover
reading.
Reference Books
 Pamphlets
A pamphlet is an unbound booklet (that is, without a hard cover or
binding). It may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on
both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths (called a leaflet),
or it may consist of a few pages that are folded in half and saddle
stapled at the crease to make a simple book.

In order to count as a pamphlet, UNESCO requires a publication (other

than a periodical) to have "at least 5 but not more than 48 pages
exclusive of the cover pages"; a longer item is a book

The purpose of a pamphlet is

1. Pamphlets are useful in business communications.
2. To educate, inform, persuade, or entertain your intended audience.
3. To mobilize people to support your cause.
4. To advertise a meeting or specific event.
5. To popularize your slogans and messages.
Pamphlets
 Magazine
Magazines may be referred to aspopular presspublications because
articles are often written by journalists, who gather information from
various sources and synthesize it into their stories or reports. Although
a journalist may specialize in a particular type of reporting, journalists
are not usually scholars. The audience for articles in magazines is
usually the general public.

Articles in magazines are often a good way to gain an overview of your topic,
but will seldom give full information on where the author found the information
included. That is, a bibliography of sources is generally not included.

Some examples of magazines (among many others) that might have information
on our example topic include:

Newsweek

Time

Scientific American

U.S. News & World Report

Magazine Articles
Newspapers
Anewspaperis aperiodicalpublication
containingnews, other informativearticles(
listed below), and usuallyadvertising. A
newspaper is usually printed on relatively
inexpensive, low-gradepapersuch as
newsprint. The news organizations that publish
newspapers are themselves often
metonymicallycalled newspapers. Most
newspapers nowpublish onlineas well as
in print. The online versions are called
Newspapers
Audio Aids
(sound related
materials)
Phonograph
Phonograph,also calledrecord player, instrument
for reproducing sounds by means of the vibration of
astylus, or needle, following agrooveon a rotating
disc. A phonograph disc, or record, stores a replica
ofsoundwaves as a series of undulations in a sinuous
groove inscribed on its rotating surface by the stylus.
When the record is played back, another stylus
responds to the undulations, and its motions are
then reconverted into sound.
Tape Recorders
 Audiotapes/CDs
When to USE:
Particularly suited for
language learning, media
studies, English literature,
etc.
Valuable when referring to
recorded historical events
(e.g. Martin Luther Kings I
have a dream speech).
Background music can also
be played before class starts
and during group activities.
TIPS
Check the room and
equipment beforehand.
Can it be heard from the back
of the room?
Find the right spot on the
tape/CD and queue it up in
advance.
Dont play more than a few
minutes of audio at one time.
Break up longer clips into
segments, interspersed with
discussion or other activities.