- What are teaching resources?
- Functions of teaching resources
- Importance of teaching resources
- Types of teaching resources
- Examples of teaching resources
We explain what didactic resources are, what are their functions, types and examples. Also, why are they so important.
What are teaching resources?
Didactic resources, didactic materials or didactic aids are any type of material or technological support that facilitates or favors the process of teaching Y 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 is and what is not a didactic resource. Basically because anything can be, as long as it fulfills 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 serve rather as communicative support to the student. teacher, or simply as a reinforcing 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 material elements that serve as aids in the teaching process, such as pencils, markers or the blackboard.
- Didactic materials. It is usually used to refer to the elements pedagogically arranged in advance to facilitate the learning process, that is, to the resources ex profeso for teaching, such as books text, 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 summarized as:
- Provide guidance. Especially in complex topics and topics, proposing alternate learning routes, mnemonic rules, etc.
- Simulate situations or events. To display in a environment controlled how they occur in real life.
- Motivate learning. That is, wake up the interest for him knowledge in the student.
- Evaluate student performance. On a specific topic or on the subject as a whole, in order to know how much of the learning was successful.
Importance of teaching resources
Teaching resources are essential in any educational model. On the one hand, because they dynamize the transmission of knowledge and allow it to take place according to different models and forms, which is vital considering that not everyone learns in the same way.
On the other hand, they tend to incorporate technical resources 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 a record 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 taught, be it visual, audiovisual or interactive.
- Experimental material. One that allows students to verify through practice and direct experimentation the knowledge taught in class.
- Technological material. These are the electronic resources that allow the generation of content, the massification of the same, etc., using above all the calls TIC.
Examples of teaching resources
Some examples of teaching materials and resources are:
- Blackboard, chalk, removable markers.
- Projectors (such as video beam), pictures, billboards.
- software learning, audiovisual sequences, online encyclopedias.
- Scientific laboratory equipment, experimental practices, field exercises.
- Textbooks, dictionaries of various kinds, notebooks, notepads.
- Rulers of different types, calculators, compasses, squares.
- Models, simulators, organization charts, graphics.