USING AND EVALUATING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

I. Module Overview

In this module, we will learn how to select and use these instructional materials
in order to achieve our desired learning objectives.

II. Desired Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Determine the appropriate instructional materials to use for particular lessons
2. Evaluate instructional materials against given standards
3. Use instructional materials effectively

III. Take-off/Motivation

Read and study the comic strip below. What do the conversations between
Charlie Brown and Linus imply about field trips?

Guide Questions for Discussion

1. From the conversation, Linus said: "It was really field, and we saw it... we saw that
field. What senses were at work in the field trip?
2. Did the field trip accomplish something specific for Linus? Why do you say so?

IV. Content Focus

Instructional materials are the content or

information conveyed within a course. These include
the lectures, readings, textbooks, multimedia
components, and other resources in a course.
Instructional materials include any tools a
teacher uses in his classroom to help foster learning.
There are many kinds of instructional materials, but
some of the most used ones are traditional
resources, graphic organizers, and teacher-made resources. Traditional resources
include textbooks and workbooks.

Types of instructional materials

Print Textbooks, pamphlets, handouts, study guides, manuals

Audio Cassettes, microphone, podcast

Visual Charts, real objects, photographs, transparencies

Audiovisual Slides, tapes, films, filmstrips, television, video, multimedia

Electronic Interactive Computers, graphing calculators, tablets

One of the instructional materials used to attain instructional objectives is field trip.
It is not enough to bring the class out for a field trip and make them observe anything, or
everything or use other instructional materials for no preparation and clear reason at all. Perhaps this
is what happened to the field trip joined in by Linus, that's why he seems not able to cite something
specific that he learned from the field trip.
For an effective use of instructional materials such as field trip, there are guidelines that
ought to be observed, first of all, in their selection and second, in their use.

Selections of Materials
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 The following guide questions express standards to consider in the selection of instructional
materials:
 Does the material give a true picture of the ideas they present? To avoid
misconceptions, it is always good to ask when the material was produced.
 Does the material contribute meaningful content to the topic under study? Does the
material help you achieve the instructional objective?
 Is the material aligned to the curriculum standards and competencies?
 Is the material culture and grades sensitive?
 Does the material have culture bias?
 Is the material appropriate for the age, intelligence, and experience of the learners?
 Is the physical condition of the material satisfactory? An example, is a photograph
properly mounted:
 Is there a teacher's guide provide a briefing for effective use? The chance that the
instructional material will be used to the maximum and to the optimum is increased
with a teacher's guide.
 Can the material in question help make students better thinkers and develop their
critical faculties? With exposure to mass media, it is highly important that we maintain
and strengthen our rational powers.
 Does the use of material make learners collaborate with one another?
 Does the material promote self-study?
 Is the material worth the time, expense and effort involved? A field trip, for instance,
requires much time, effort, and money. Is it more effective than any other less
expensive and less demanding instructional material that can take its place? Or is there
a better substitute?
The Proper Use of Materials
You may have selected your instructional material well. This is no guarantee that the
instructional material will be effectively utilized. It is one thing to select a good instructional
material, it is another thing to use it well.

P—Prepare yourself

P—Prepare your student

P—Present the material

F—Follow up
To ensure effective use of instructional material, Hayden Smith and Thomas Nagel,
(1972) book authors on Instructional Media, advise us to abide by the acronym PPPF,
Prepare yourself. You know your lesson objective and what you expect from the class
after the session and why you have selected such particular instructional material. You have a
plan on how you will proceed, what questions to ask, how you will evaluate learning and how
you will tie loose ends before the bell rings.
Prepare your students. Set reasonably high-class expectations and learning goals. It is
sound practice to give them guide questions for them to be able to answer during the discussion.
Motivate them and keep them interested and engaged.
Present the material under the best possible conditions. Many teachers are guilty of
the R.O.G. Syndrome. This is means "running out of gas" which usually results from poor
planning. (Smith, 1972) Using media and materials, especially if they are mechanical in nature,
often requires rehearsal and a carefully planned performance. Wise are you if you try the
materials ahead of your class use to avoid a fiasco.
Follow-up. Remember that you use instructional material to achieve an objective, not to
kill time nor to give yourself a break, neither to merely entertain the class. You use the
instructional for the attainment of a lesson objective. Your use of the instructional material is
not the end in itself. It is a means to an end, the attainment of a learning objective. So, there is
need to follow up to find out if objective was attained or not.
Instructional materials constitute alternative channels of communication, which a
teacher can use to convey more vividly instructional information to learners. They represent a

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 range of materials which can be used to 'extend the range of vicarious experience' of learners in
a teaching-learning situation.
To ensure the instructional materials serve their purpose in instruction, we need to
observe some guidelines in their selection and use. The materials that we select must:
 Give a true picture of the ideas they present
 Contribute to the attainment of the learning objective
 Be aligned to curriculum standards and competencies
 Be appropriate to the age, intelligence and experience of the learners
 Be in good and satisfactory condition
 Be culture-sensitive and gender-sensitive
 Provide for a teacher’s guide
 Help develop the critical and creative thinking powers of students
 Promote collaborative learning
 Be worth the time, expense and effort involved
For optimum use of the instructional materials, it is necessary that the teacher prepares:
 Herself
 Her students
 The instructional material and does follow-up
 Promote independent study
9 Instructional events by Robert Gagne
1. Gain attention
2. Inform Learner of objectives
3. Stimulate recall
4. present stimulus materials
5. Provide learner guidance
6. Elicit performance
7. Provide feedback
8. Assess performance
9. Enhance retention transfer

V. Take Action

Create a 10 minute-video presentation that includes a lesson and an example of your prepared
instructional materials in your major subject
Criteria:
Content- 50%
Creativity-30%
Time Frame-20%
100%

VI. Self-check

Try to watch the following videos and answer the questions below.

Mathematics major: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvi5ABUzLVs

Social studies major: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjUJNlyX81s

Questions:
1. Find out which guidelines in the selection of instructional materials did he
observe /not observe.
2. In his use of instructional material, write down evidence of:

-preparation of
self________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
________
-preparation of
students____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
________
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 -preparation of
material____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
________
-follow up____________________________________-
___________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
________

VII. Self-reflect

Connect Gagne’s nine instructional events to the PPPF acronym in this lesson
in relation to the use of instructional materials. Are Smith and Gagne saying similar
things?

Note: Use separate sheet of papers for your answers.

VIII. References

Corpuz, Brenda B. & Lucido Paz I. (2015). Educational Technology I. Quezon City:
Lorimar Publishing Inc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvi5ABUzLVs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjUJNlyX81s

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