Instructional Materials

Define 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.

According to Agy Okogbuo (2000) instructional materials could be classified into:

such as picture, diagrams buildings, projectors, teachers themselves (s), chart, real objects (realia) studies etc. these materials such as books, newspapers journals, magazines, pamphlets, handout or NTI modules were also involved.

Visual material

such as tape recording cassette, cartridge, radio, dice, teleture, teleconferencing, language laboratories, teachers voice. They appeal to the sense of hearing.

Audio materials

which include the television, video recording motion pictures with sound tracks, slide and films trips projection with sound tapes, films and multimedia. They appeal to both sense of hearing and sight.

Audio-visual materials

include graphic materials, printed materials, slide, filmstrips, overhead transparency, tapes cassettes, and motion pictures.

Materials/software

examples include: black boards, tape recorders, projectors and video recorders. They are used in presenting materials, static or display such as chalkboard, flannel graph, flip charts, magnetic board are also used in presenting materials or lectures.

Equipment/hardware

this comprises of radio, computer, e-mail, multimedia. These teaching materials makes teaching and learning process more easy and concrete.                        

Electronics

include books and other printed materials, objects, specimens. Models mock-up graphical materials bulletin boards that exhibitsblack boards, buildings, field trips simulation and games.

Non-projected media

materials include flat pictures, graphs, chat, diagrams posters, conics, cartoons, slides, films, trips and films. They are also non-projected materials with characteristics of being flat and light and may be either in opaque or transparent form. They have length but no height, hence they are 2 dimensional aids.

Two-dimensional instructional 

include: models, mock up objects, specimens, laboratories, simulation and games. They are non-projected materials. Characteristically, they have length, breath, height, hence they are called 3 dimensional.

Three-dimensional institutional materials

Instructional materials generally make the teaching process easier. However in order to appreciate the importance of instructional materials in the teaching-learning process, Rhert Heinich – et al (2001) consider the reasons for using them. They include to help:

 1. Gain and hold the attention of the learner2. Provide visual aspects to a process or techniques3. Focus attention on highlight of key points4. Create impact5. Facilities the understanding of abstract

explanations.6. Provide a common fretwork of experience to a

large number of learners7. Stimulate reality 

the type of instructional materials used depends on what the tutor wants to demonstrate; for instance, the reasons for media is to create clear idea of something e.g. real object (realia) models as follows:

 1. To give visual access to something which may

be inaccessible to clarity abstract information which may be difficult to communicate verbally. Examples are model picture, photo, posters and diagrams.

2. To condense large qualities of information e.g. diagram and handout

3. To promote mental activities of students; examples are handout, textbooks, films and picture

4. To teach language pronouncement e.g. audiotapes.

5. To support work of the tutors e.g. sound recordings

Kindler (1993) stated that people generally remember;

10% of what they read20% of what they hear30% of what they see

50% of what they hear and see70% of what they say and

90% of what they ay as they do a thing.

Instructional materials plays a very big role in teaching and learning process as enumerated below:

a.     It helps the tutors to provide his students with meaningful sources of information.

b.     Help the tutors by providing him with means of wildering his students of information

c.      Being experts with learning resources in the classroom

d.     Allow members of a group or class to share equally the same teaching experience.

e.      Provide the tutors means of exposing the students to a wide range of learning activities.