Learning materials and books

Think of the difference between a drawer full of related materials and a well-designed textbook.

A drawer of materials for a history unit might contain maps, clippings, photos, historical letters, handouts and readings, and lesson plans. The material might be of high quality, carefully selected and very well organized. But because it is a loose collection of materials highly dependent on a specific teacher’s skills for its effectiveness, and not easily copied and distributed, it is only really useful in that specific classroom.

A teacher might conceivably draw all the materials together into a standard, easily reproduced and transported package (we’ll call it a textbook). In addition to combining the maps, photos and text together in a reusable form, the teacher might include lesson plans and activities, thereby providing suggested organization or re-sequencing of the material for the most effective use of the material to meet specific goals.