Teaching aids and Instructional

materials- tools for teachers and

students
Aditya Shukla |  April 28, 2020May 12, 2018
Psychologists, designers, educationalists, and many professors around the world
work on improving the quality of education because a lot depends on the
education of a whole generation. The resources a teacher uses while teaching
play a role in how students learn. Motivation, stimulation, retention, interest,
actionable learning, etc. can vary based on how the act of teaching occurs.

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.

Examples based on classification systems: 

Classification 1:

Non-electronic – Chalkboards, flip boards, slates, photos, telescopes,

Electronic – Powerpoint slideshows, videos, Augmented reality/Virtual reality
goggles, AV-room equipment
Classification 2:

Auditory: radios, tape recorders, CD players

Visual: Slides, projectors, digital screens
Audiovisual– Youtube content, Vines (yes, they are helpful), Ted Talks, Live
streams, documentaries
Audiovisual and tactile – 3D models, plants, rocks, field visits
What are Instructional Materials?
Instructional materials are those items that assist the information aspect of
teaching. Not teaching holistically. These could take the form of textbooks,
worksheets, 3D models, charts, infographics, etc.

Instructional materials also include assessment and testing methods. Basically,

any material, any information containing resources which that the teacher uses
while instructing. Now testing materials don’t necessarily contain information, but
they help the retention and learning of information, thus, they are instructional
materials. Sometimes, they are a means to an end, the end being the
assimilation of information.

Classification

Traditional resources: lectures, talks, writings, project rubrics, guidelines,

textbook primers, reference books, extra-readings, teacher and student-created
summaries, workbooks, supplementary material such as flashcards and charts
Digital media: Videos, photos, presentations
Open resources: Expert blogs, open-source journals, public databases, open
courseware, forums
Testing resources: Standardized tests, classroom assignments, online
submissions, quizzes, essays, collaborative projects

Key differences between Teaching aids and Instructional

materials 
As you’ll see in this article, TAs and IMs work together to reach teaching goals.
However, the traditional separation of TAs and IMs is superficial and needs
revision. It breaks down based on who uses a specific tool and how it is used.
Dictionaries don’t define Instructional materials clearly. This term (IM) is largely
restricted to the literature on specific pedagogies. In fact, the term ‘Instructional
materials’ is used in the context of reaching course-based learning goals. IMs are
specifically designed to be aligned with learning objectives and outcomes.
Whereas teaching aids are not always designed to meet course-based goals.
You might have guessed, the same object can be a TA or an IM.

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.

Example 2: if you are studying algae under a microscope.

A microscope would be an instructional material if a course-based learning goal
is ‘using a microscope to study microscopic entities’.

However, a microscope would be a teaching aid for a theory class on algae. A

teacher could use one to show students what it looks like in order to engage the
class in learning about algae.

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.

The need for teaching aids and instructional materials

1. Conceptual knowledge requires examples, familiarity with the concept’s
features, contexts, and engagement/experience. These tools directly help.
2. Some academic subjects like biology or electronics can benefit students in
more useful ways if they know what the real-world counterparts to a theory are
– circuits, tissue under a microscope, plants, etc. Such information sticks
 longer because the memory encoding for these concepts involves strong
sensory and experiential components. The brain acquires the concept with
multiple representations in a network- right from what the concept looks on
paper to how it feels to the senses. 
3. Using youtube videos and discussing Ted talks puts dense information in a
familiar context. Youtube is a part of human culture, so are memes, putting
information in the context of the internet culture can motivate or change the
perception of the so-called ‘boring’ topics. 
4. IMs and TAs also motivate students at the level of the classroom. This
goes hand in hand with confidence (security that one can learn) as having
materials is proof of accessing information. Having access can, at the very
least, prime students to learn. 
5. Relying on general information on the internet can overwhelm students
due to an inherent lack of direction and potential misinformation. This problem
can be solved by designing IMs to accommodate snowballing around a topic,
using authority references, summarizing content or priming content like video
overviews and infographics.
6. The cost of implementing TAs and IMs is not trivial. However, improved
teaching efficacy and learning efficacy can significantly lower the burden of
learning course content. Teachers may save time, students may require lesser
effort to achieve learning goals, and primary organizational resources would
be better managed (man-hours to pay for, classroom upkeep, scheduling).
And even if it does cost the organization a little more, better learning would
probably always be worth it. 
7. Testing and assessment not only helps to confirm the learning of
content but also helps improve the learning. Research has shown that being
tested (the testing effect) can promote memory and conceptual understanding.
Attempting worksheet exercises, quizzes, essays, etc. reinforce learning as
well as create a hub for further self-motivated learning. Check out the 1st link
in the articles listed below for referenced research insights.
8. At the superficial level and the definition level, who wouldn’t want a lively
class and learning experience? 
TAs and IMs would work even better if they are aligned with brain-based
learning concepts. These concepts are a framework to design a way the brain
processes information. If TAs and IMs hijack these processes or even reinforce
them, the growth in learning would be dramatic.
Other articles you might find useful:
1. Study habits for teachers to teach and students to use
2. Inquiry-based learning: viability, research, and methods
3. Why one should learn even though it is not needed
4. Deliberate creative thinking using construal levels
By fully utilizing these resources, you, as a teacher or a learning facilitator, can
make your lessons rich and fun for your students!