Table of Contents
We explain what are the teaching resources, what are their functions, types and examples. Also, why are they so important.
What are teaching resources?
Teaching resources, teaching materials or teaching aids are any type of material or technological support that facilitates or propitiates the process of teaching and learning. They are usually used by educators in pedagogical or training institutions, as a way to complement or make their work more efficient.
There is no strict and universal concept regarding what it is and what is not a teaching resource. Basically, because anything can be, provided it fulfils the function of facilitating learning or adapting it to the specific needs of a certain type of student.
For example, some resources will allow meaningful learning, with high student participation, while others will rather serve as communicative support to the teacher, or simply as reinforcement material.
Although there is no agreement regarding the nomenclature of these elements, some authors prefer to establish a difference between:
- Didactic resources: In some cases it is used to designate the material elements that serve as auxiliaries in the teaching process, such as pencils, markers or the board.
- Didactic materials: It is usually used to refer to the pedagogically arranged elements in advance to facilitate the learning process, that is, the resources on purpose for teaching, such as textbooks, audiovisual presentations, etc.
However, in this text we will use them as synonyms.
Functions of teaching resources
Given the possible diversity of teaching resources, their specific functions can be many. Even so, they can be summed up in:
- Provide guidance, especially in complex topics and topics, proposing alternative learning paths, mnemonic rules, etc.
- Simulate situations or events, to show in a controlled environment how they occur in real life.
- Motivate learning, that is, arouse interest in the knowledge in the student
- Evaluate performance from the student, in a specific topic or in the subject as a whole, in order to know how much of the learning was successful.
Importance of teaching resources
Teaching resources are fundamental in any educational model. On the one hand, because energize the transmission of knowledge and they allow it to take place according to different models and forms, which is vital if it is considered that not everyone learns in the same way.
On the other hand, they usually incorporate technical resources into education and technological more modern, which allows the updating of teaching, allowing new dynamics and academic experiences.
Types of teaching resources
Teaching resources can be classified as follows:
- Permanent work material. Everything that is used daily in teaching, whether to keep track of it, illustrate what has been said or allow other types of operations.
- Informative material. Those materials in which the information and that they are used as a source of knowledge.
- Illustrative material. Everything that can be used to accompany, enhance and exemplify the content provided, whether visual, audiovisual or interactive.
- Experimental material. The one that allows the students to verify by means of the practice and the direct experimentation the knowledge imparted in class.
- Technological material. This is the electronic resources that allow the generation of content, the massification of the same, etc.
Examples of teaching resources
Some examples of resources and teaching materials are:
- Blackboard, chalk, delectable markers.
- Projectors (as the video beam), sheets, billboards.
- Learning software, audiovisual sequences, online encyclopedias.
- Scientific laboratory material, experimental practices, field exercises.
- Textbooks, dictionaries of various types, notebooks, sheet pads.
- Rules of different types, calculators, measures, squares.
- Models, simulators, organization charts, graphics.