Instructional materials are important for teaching, especially for inexperienced teachers. They are used for lesson planning, assessing student knowledge through exams and projects, and providing background information on subjects. Instructional materials can serve as delivery vehicles that present knowledge or as partners in the constructivist perspective that help students build interpretations. Both traditional and constructivist views agree that effective use of instructional materials increases learning and develops critical thinking when it gives students more control over their learning and moves from teacher-dominated to learner-centered environments.

1. Educational values of Instructional materials
Instructional materials are highly important for teaching, especially for
inexperienced teachers. Teachers rely on instructional materials in every aspect of teaching. They
need materials for background information on the subject they are teaching.
Young teachers usually have not built up their expertise whenever they enter into the
field. Teachers often use instructional materials for lesson planning. These materials are also
needed by teachers to assess the knowledge of their students. Teachers often assess students by
assigning tasks, creating projects, and administering exams. Instructional materials are essential
for all of these activities.
One cannot utilize instructional methods without using any form of media for
communication. In this sense, the two are inseparable. In line to this, Corpuz et.al (2008) said
that instructional materials play different roles in the execution of a lesson. These roles may
either be Traditional, wherein it serves as delivery vehicles for instructional lessons or
Constructivist in which IMs are viewed as partners in teaching and learning. For us to further
understand, enumerated below are the roles of the IMs in traditional and constructivist
perspectives:
Traditional perspectives
1. Serves as delivery vehicles for instructional lessons
2. Technology serves as sources and presenter of knowledge. It is assumed that knowledge
is embedded with technology and technology presents that knowledge to the students.
3. Learners learn from technology and Technology serves as teachers.
Constructivist perspectives
1. Partners in teaching and learning
2. Helps build more meaningful interpretations of a learner’s life and world.
3. Have roles as:
Tools to support knowledge construction
Information vehicles for exploring knowledge to support learning by constructing
Context support learning by doing
Social media to support learning by conversing
Intellectual partners to support learning by reflecting.
May it be traditional or constructivist both views agree that IMs, when used effectively,
will increase student learning and support development of critical thinking and problem solving
skills. Proper implementation in the classroom gives more control of their own learning and
tends to move classrooms from a teacher-dominated to a learner centered environment.

2. Traditional perspectives Constructivist perspectives Similarities
1. Serves as delivery 1. Partners in teaching and May it be traditional or
vehicles for learning constructivist both views
instructional lessons agree that IMs, when
2. Technology serves 2. Helps build more meaningful used effectively, will
as sources and interpretations of a learner’s life increase student learning
presenter of and world. and support development
knowledge. It is of critical thinking and
assumed that problem solving skills.
knowledge is Proper implementation in
embedded with the classroom gives more
technology and control of their own
technology presents learning and tends to
that knowledge to move classrooms from a
the students. teacher-dominated to a
learner centered
3. Learners learn from 4. Have roles as: environment.
technology and Tools to support
Technology serves knowledge
as teachers. construction
Information vehicles
for exploring
knowledge to support
learning by
constructing
Context support
learning by doing
Social media to
support learning by
conversing
Intellectual partners to
support learning by
reflecting.
A table showing the differences and similarities of the Traditional and Constructivist perspectives.
Lesson prepared by:
CHRISTIAN L. CHUA
Student, BSE 4-English
To be submitted to:
DR. PRISCILA V. SAN PEDRO
Instructor, English 136