PRIORITIES FOR EVALUATING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Teachers make a difference in student learning, and materials with effective learning strategies can support or impede their impact. Yet, insufficient number, type, and quality of learning strategies have been persistently identified in textbooks.

 Two special cases for learning strategies are:

.Expertise reversal effect

. Powerful resistance to learning

It is important to have more direct instruction and fewer guided activities .  As the literature states it includes:
1. Motivation strategies

Instructional materials must include features to maintain learners’ motivation. Some features that maintain student motivation include positive expectations, feedback and appearance.
2. Big ideas

Instructional materials should thoroughly teach a few important ideas, concepts, or themes. Big ideas or major themes provide focus for students and completeness.

3. Explicit instruction must contain clear statements of information and outcomes. It also depends upon clarity of directions and explanations, and exclusion of ambiguity.

4. Guidance and support must include guidance and support to help students safely and successfully become more independent learners and thinkers. Effectiveness of guidance and support depends on level and adaptability.

5. The combination of instructional strategies should also be complete enough to achieve the learning outcomes. Simultaneously, it is essential for the combination of assessment strategies to be comprehensive enough to achieve the target learning outcomes.

In my opinion, teachers should not teach to test, learning can be improved by changing the frequency, purpose, or cognitive levels of testing and evaluating. Materials must be based on the students level of expertise if they want to maintain students motivation.