Good teachers become better teachers when they use appropriate materials in their lessons. Good teachers relate the materials they use to the curriculum and academic standards for the subject they teach. Learning what materials to use and how to use them comes with experience.
Instructional materials may be printed (available from professional, governmental, and commercial sources) or duplicated (if teacher-made or copied from printed material).
Materials should be selected in terms of well-defined and agreed-upon criteria—e.g., do they coincide with the teacher's objectives, are they well organized and designed, and are they suited to the reading level of the students?
In presenting materials, teachers need to consider student understanding, structure, sequence, balance, explanation, pace, and elaboration strategies.
Types of instructional materials include textbooks and workbooks; journals, magazines, and newspapers; and simulations and games. Textbooks and workbooks tend to dominate as the major instructional materials in most classrooms.
Important aspects of selecting textbooks are stereotyping, readability, textbook and pedagogical aids, and aids to student comprehension.
Textbook aids are designed to facilitate student comprehension, and pedagogical aids are designed to facilitate the teacher's instruction.
Several strategies can be used for incorporating simulations and games into the daily lesson.
