This document outlines a school policy for selecting appropriate teaching and learning resources. It states that schools must ensure resources are challenging without being offensive or controversial. Resources about religious or cultural beliefs must be handled sensitively. Schools cannot use resources created by inappropriate organizations like political parties or companies promoting weapons. The details section provides more guidelines for teachers and principals to ensure resources are suitable for students and comply with the selection guidelines.

1. Teaching and
Learning
Resources –
Selecting
Appropriate
Materials
EDUC 108
WEEK 14

2. Agenda
Policy
Summary
Details
Presentation Title

3. Digital literacy is about finding,
evaluating, using, and creating digital
content in meaningful and responsible
ways. It requires thinking skills and
technical abilities. You can use a range of
strategies to develop digital literacy in
your school.
National Library
9/3/20XX Presentation Title 3

4. Policy Summary
•Schools must ensure that teaching and learning resources
provide students with challenging and engaging programs that
do not offend students or the wider school community due to
their obscene, offensive or controversial nature.

5. Policy Summary
•Schools must ensure that teaching about religious and cultural
beliefs and practices are handled with sensitivity, consistent with
this policy and guidance. For example, the use of images of
deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons should
be avoided, except where permission to use an image has been
provided or where appropriate warnings about the images are
given, and images of the prophet Muhammad should not be
used in teaching and learning programs.

6. Policy Summary
•Schools must not use teaching and learning resources created
by inappropriate organizations for classroom use – refer to the
definition section for a list of inappropriate organizations.

7. Policy Details
•Principals must ensure that the school complies with the
Selecting Teaching and Learning Resources Guidelines,
available on the Guidance tab, including that:
•schools do not expose students to highly offensive or obscene
materials or themes, including:
•images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
persons, except where permission to use an image has been
provided, or where appropriate warnings about the images are
given
•images of the prophet Muhammad, which should not be used in
teaching and learning programs

8. Policy Details
•schools do not expose students to materials created by
inappropriate organisations for classroom use – refer to the
definition section for a list of inappropriate organisations
• the school community is informed of possible controversial texts
prior to their use in classrooms
• students and parents know they can raise objections to the
teaching and learning resources.

9. Policy Details
Teachers and principals also need to ensure that selected
teaching and learning resources:
•are suitable for the age group using them
• consider the words, behaviour, images or themes of the
resources in terms of the:
 context
 impact on the audience age group
 literary, artistic or educational merit of the material
 intention of the author and general character of the
material.

10. Policy Details
Principals may consult with school council or other members of
the school community regarding the selection of teaching and
learning resources.
To ensure that staff respond reasonably and respectfully to
objections to the use of specific teaching and learning resources,
schools must:
•ensure the objection is provided to the principal
• establish the basis for an objection

11. Controversial material
Material about which opinions can differ.

12. Inappropriate organisations
Inappropriate organisations are those
listed in the Sponsorship policy
and Financial Literacy policy:
•political parties
•tobacco companies

13. Inappropriate organisations
Inappropriate organisations are those
listed in the Sponsorship policy
and Financial Literacy policy:
•gaming venues
•companies involved in the sale or
promotion of alcohol

14. Inappropriate organisations
Inappropriate organisations are those
listed in the Sponsorship policy
and Financial Literacy policy:
•companies involved in the sale or
promotion of weapons, including firearms
•companies that encourage unhealthy
food choices by young people

15. Offensive or obscene material
Material about which there is a
consensus that it is unacceptable.

16. REFERENCES:
https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/digital-literacy/strategies-for-developing-digital-literacy/digital-content-finding-
evaluating-using-and-creating-it
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/selecting-suitable-teaching-resources/policy