Appendix B - Learning Resources

The ministry attempts to obtain rights for most recommended videos. Negotiations for the most recently recommended videos may not be complete. For these titles, the original distributor is listed in this document, instead of British Columbia Learning Connection Inc. Rights for new listings take effect the year implementation begins. Please check with British Columbia Learning Connection Inc. before ordering new videos.

Selecting Learning Resources for the Classroom

The selection of learning resources should be an ongoing process to ensure a constant flow of new materials into the classroom. It is most effective as an exercise in group decision making, co-ordinated at the school, district, and ministry levels. To function efficiently and realize the maximum benefit from finite resources, the process should operate in conjunction with an overall district and school learning resource implementation plan.

Teachers may choose to use provincially recommended resources to support provincial or locally developed curricula; or they may choose resources that are not on the ministry's list; or they may choose to develop their own resources. Resources that are not on the provincially recommended list must be evaluated through a local, board-approved process.

Criteria for Selection

Content

The foremost consideration for selection is the curriculum to be taught. Prospective resources must adequately support the particular learning objectives that the teacher wants to address. Resources on the ministry's recommended list are not matched directly to learning outcomes, but they are linked to the appropriate curriculum organizers. It is the responsibility of the teacher to determine whether a resource will effectively support any given learning outcomes within a curriculum organizer. This can only be done by examining descriptive information regarding that resource; acquiring additional information about the material from the supplier, published reviews, or colleagues; and by examining the resource first-hand.

Instructional Design

When selecting learning resources, teachers must keep in mind the individual learning styles and abilities of their students, as well as anticipate the students they may have in the future. Resources have been recommended to support a variety of special audiences, including gifted, learning disabled, mildly intellectually disabled, and ESL students. The suitability of a resource for any of these audiences has been noted in the resource annotation. The instructional design of a resource includes the organization and presentation techniques; the methods used to introduce, develop, and summarize concepts; and the vocabulary level. The suitability of all of these should be considered for the intended audience.

Teachers should also consider their own teaching styles and select resources that will complement them. The list of recommended  resources contains materials that range from prescriptive or self-contained resources, to open-ended resources that require considerable teacher preparation. There are recommended materials for teachers with varying levels and experience with a particular subject, as well as those that strongly support particular teaching styles.

Technology Considerations

Teachers are encouraged to embrace a variety of educational technologies in their classrooms. To do so, they will need to ensure the availability of the necessary equipment and familiarize themselves with its operation. If the equipment is not currently available, then the need must be incorporated into the school or district technology plan.

Social Considerations

All resources on the ministry's recommended list have been thoroughly screened for social concerns from a provincial perspective. However, teachers must consider the appropriateness of any resource from the perspective of the local community.

Media

When selecting resources, teachers should consider the advantages of various media. Some topics may be best taught using a specific medium. For example, video may be the most appropriate medium when teaching a particular, observable skill, since it provides a visual model that can be played over and over or viewed in slow motion for detailed analysis. Video can also bring otherwise unavailable experiences into the classroom and reveal "unseen worlds" to students. Software may be particularly useful when students are expected to develop critical-thinking skills through the manipulation of a simulation, or where safety or repetition are factors. Print resources or CD-ROM can best be used to provide extensive background information on a given topic. Once again, teachers must consider the needs of their individual students, some of whom may learn better from the use of one medium than another.

Funding

As part of the selection process, teachers should determine how much money is available to spend on learning resources. This requires an awareness of school and district policies, and procedures for learning resource funding. Teachers will need to know how funding is allocated in their district and how much is available for their needs. Learning resource selection should be viewed as an ongoing process that requires a determination of needs, as well as long-term planning to co-ordinate individual goals and local priorities.

Existing Materials

Prior to selecting and purchasing new learning resources, an inventory of those resources that are already available should be established through consultation with the school and district resource centres. In some districts, this can be facilitated through the use of district and school resource management and tracking systems. Such systems usually involve a computer database program (and possibly bar-coding) to help keep track of a multitude of titles. If such a system is put on-line, then teachers can check the availability of a particular resource via a computer.

Selection Tools

These include:

• Integrated Resource Packages (IRPs) which contain curriculum information, teaching and assessment strategies, and recommended learning resources
• learning resources information via annotation sets, resource databases on disks, the Learning Resources CD-ROM, and, in the future, on-line access
• sets of the most recently recommended learning resources (provided each year to a number of host districts throughout the province to allow teachers to examine the materials first hand at regional displays)
• sample sets of provincially recommended resources (available on loan to districts on request)

A Model Selection Process

1. Identify a resource co-ordinator (for example, a teacher-librarian).
2. Establish a learning resources committee made up of department heads or lead teachers.
3. Develop a school vision and approach to resource-based learning.
4. Identify existing learning resource and library materials, personnel, and infrastructure.
5. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the existing systems.
6. Examine the district Learning Resources Implementation Plan.
7. Identify resource priorities.
8. Apply criteria such as those found in Evaluating, Selecting, and Managing Learning Resources to shortlist potential resources.
9. Examine shortlisted resources first-hand at a regional display or at a publishers' display, or borrow a set from the Learning Resources Branch.
10. Make recommendations for purchase.

Further Information

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