What are learning materials, making and using learning materials: Part-1

What are learning materials, making and using learning materials

 

Introduction:

 

You went to a discussion meeting. The history of ancient Rome is told there. The speaker is telling one story after another and the audience is listening. The other day you went to another similar discussion where the history of ancient Greece was being told. Here the history of Greece is shown along with various pictures, materials used, videos, etc. of that time. Now which of these two discussions will be more interesting and easier to understand for you and will be remembered for a long time? If a topic is described along with various pictures, sounds or videos, etc. related to it, then the topic is easy to understand and remember for a long time.

Because when we read or listen to something, only one of our five senses is used.

But when different types of images, sounds, or videos are added to it, many senses are used.

 

As a result, it is easy to understand and easy to remember. For example, if a child is taught to recognize mangoes by showing them, then his knowledge about mangoes will not be complete.

 

Actually, the mango needs to be touched, smelled, and tasted.

 

Thus, if the mango can be brought in contact with the senses like eyes, hands, skin, nose, tongue, etc. then he will have full knowledge about the mango.

 

So, learning is worthwhile if different senses can be used for complete knowledge of the subject matter.

 

In this respect, the role of education is very important. Yet, classroom teaching alone may not be conducive to the learning of all students.

 

For example, a poster may be used to teach learning in a classroom with visually impaired students. But it is helpful for the learning of other students but not for that student.

 

So, the selection and use of educational materials need to consider the diversity and needs of students. This lesson discusses what learning is, its need, types of learning, and the creation, collection, use. And it also discuss the preservation of learning based on the diversity and needs of learners.

 

What are educational materials?

 

Learning materials or learning aids are materials or techniques. It makes learning content easier and more interesting for students. It also helps students understand, and make teaching-learning activities more effective. For example, using a map or globe to give an idea about the world. To teach about the culture of the indigenous people, their clothes, and pictures of various festivals it can be used. This makes the subject easier for the students to understand. And it becomes more tangible.

 

Different types of learning materials

 

Many types of materials are used in teaching and learning.

For example, if the teacher wants to give an idea about plants, he uses leaves, flowers, fruits, and various types of plants as practical materials.

In this case, students do not have to imagine and understand anything. Yet, in some texts, alternative objects such as diagrams, pictures, charts, designs, maps, models, etc. are used to fill the lack of reality.

 

Where the help of such materials is taken, the student has to resort to some imagination.

 

Different types of educational materials are used in teaching learning process. It can be generally divided into 3 categories. Namely –

 

(a) Audible Materials:

Materials that make the learning material audible i.e. we hear with our ears. For example, radio, tape recorder, audio cassette, CD player, microphone, etc.

 

(b) Visible Materials:

Materials that make the learning material visible i.e. visible to our eyes.

For example, posters, pictures, charts, globes,

different models, maps, magazines, journals, different types of boards,

textbooks, newspapers, slide projectors, overhead projectors, etc.

 

(c) Auditory-Visual Materials:

Materials that make the learning material both auditory and visual i.e. we understand it using eyes and ears. For example- Television, Movies, DVDs, Monitors, Computers, Laptops, Multimedia, etc.

 

Need for educational materials

 

Makes content easy and comprehensible:

Using materials in teaching and learning helps students to understand easily. It also increases their understanding level of the content.

 

Embodies the content:

By using materials, things become clear and tangible through the use of senses. Such as hearing and sight. As a result, the level of experience in learning expands. It also helps in gaining a broader understanding of the subject matter.

 

Makes learning last:

Using materials allows students to learn by seeing and hearing. It reduces the tendency to focus and master the content. As a result, learning lasts longer.

 

Development of Thinking and Mindfulness:

Educational materials stimulate students’ thinking. It develops their skills of observation, analysis, etc.

 

Creating interest in lessons:

Educational materials remove the monotony of the classroom. It makes lessons interesting and bring dynamism to the learning process. It motivation in the mind of different types of students. It makes them interested in learning.

Reduced time and effort in presenting lessons:

It is said that a good picture is more effective than a thousand pages of description. As a result, by using educational materials, the teacher can inculcate the content of the lesson in the mind of the students in a very short time. And with less effort and can bring about desired changes in the behavior of the students.