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. |