USING AND EVALUATING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The use of instructional material can be effective if it is properly selected depending on the topic and if it is properly used. It should be appropriate and satisfactory for the ultimate goal of facilitating learning. There are guidelines to be followed and the first is the selection of instructional materials.

These are factors to be considered as standards for the selection of instructional materials:

ü  the materials should present the precise and true ideas of the topic or subject being discussed

ü  the materials should add meaning to the content of the topic and these  should help you achieve your instructional objectives

ü  the materials should be appropriate to the age, intelligence, and experiences of the students

ü  the materials should be satisfactory

ü  the materials should have a teacher's guide for effective use

ü  the materials should develop the student's higher critical thinking skills

ü  the materials should be accessible and affordable for the students

The second guideline is the usage of instructional materials.After you have properly selected the material, you should as well effectively utilize it. According to Thomas Nagel, to ensure effective utilization of the instructional material, he advised us to abide by the acronym PPPF.

Prepare yourself. It simply means that you should know your lesson objective and your expectation from the class after the session. There should be a planning ahead on how you're going to proceed  the discussion and evaluate after. 

Prepare your students. It implies setting class expectation and learning goals. This comes by throwing them guide questions and motivating them as a way of keeping them interested and engaged.

Present the material. It means you should rehearsed first the materials you are going to use before presenting them to the class. This is important especially if the materials you are using are mechanical in nature, for example, power points and other multimedia presentations. This is to avoid what they call as R.O.G. Syndrome of Running Out of Gas. This syndrome usually occurs due to lack of planning.

Follow Up. The main function of using instructional material is to achieve an objective and that is ultimately the learning of the students.Using this is not an end in itself but a means to an end so there is a need for follow up to know if you have attained your objective.