No matter what subject you teach, the quality of classroom instruction tends to depend on the instructional strategies put in place and the corresponding teaching resources used to achieve the desired result. In a broad sense, teaching resources are defined as the materials educators use to facilitate learning and aid in student acquisition of content area knowledge. As you can imagine, this concept applies to a wide range of materials, but it can be difficult to know which resources or sources you can trust. Within this article, we will take a deep dive into the varying resources we offer and how they can help you become an even more effective educator.
Flexible Teaching Resources
Learning A-Z has developed solutions that allow educators to create their own resources. One solution that does this is Foundations A-Z, our research-based solution for K-5 foundational skills instruction that earned “all green” ratings from EdReports this year. Though most resources only allow you to follow a set educational path, Foundations A-Z gives educators the power of choice. Upon acquiring a cost-effective annual subscription, teachers are able to select one of two easy-to-use paths to guide them on their journey to sound foundational skills instruction.
The first path, Follow Our Path, offers support that follows a set scope and sequence, units, modules, and lessons to be followed in order. Using this step-by-step approach, teachers are able to easily transition to explicit instruction with the added convenience of built-in flexibility. The second path, Choose Your Own Path, truly allows teachers to pave their own way. This path allows teachers to supplement their own existing curriculum by accessing lessons or resources to assign to individual students, small groups, or their whole class to enhance instruction. This element of choice allows teachers to be the authors of their instructional approach, making it easier for them to select the path that matches their particular area of focus at any given time. It also best suits their students' needs, helping them become even more effective in classroom instruction.
In addition, Learning A-Z offers teachers the ability to use student reporting to inform future instruction. Within Foundations A-Z and Raz-Plus, you will find valuable reporting that gives teachers the opportunity to view progress for an individual student, a small group, or the entire classroom. The sky is the limit for teachers with reporting resources such as this, as it allows them to tailor their teaching methods to the gaps in understanding and personalize instructional methods to meet student needs.
Free Teaching Resources
There is a plethora of free teaching resources out there, but many fall short as it relates to being of sound quality. To remedy this, Learning A-Z offers trustworthy, free resources created by experts in varying fields. Each of our trusted products offers a free trial to allow you to experience it first-hand in your classroom. Included in the variety of solutions we offer are educational materials, lesson plans, interactive activities, and more. Select from the list of helpful solutions below to sign up for a free 14-day trial!
Teacher Resource Center
Learning A-Z also offers program guides that are similar to that of a teacher resource center. Within these guides, teachers will find product overviews, information about the data behind the product, FAQs, and a method to contact our knowledgeable customer support team. Take a look at the guide below to get a feel for this type of resource.
Looking to Create Your Own Resources?
As a busy educator, your time is extremely limited when it comes to finding and/or creating reliable, quality resources you can use to pair with instruction. If you are currently working to produce some of your own teaching resources, we have a few tips to help you get started and reduce stress.
- Keep standards and objectives in mind: Creating resources with intention involves really honing in on the standards you would like to meet and the academic goals you’d like to achieve. To do so, we recommend selecting the standard you would like your lesson to address and to focus on the question “What would I like to make sure my students know or understand upon completion of this unit or lesson?” Outside of standards, you can also consult textbooks, unit quizzes, or old standardized tests to gain familiarity as to some of the best ways to refine the skill(s) you are targeting.
- Get to know your students: Though resources may align with specific standards or learning objectives, these resources may not resonate with your students, leaving much to be desired when it comes to the willingness to learn. To remedy this, it is best to get to know your students beyond the beginning of the school year. From becoming familiar with their hobbies to what types of books or movies they like, getting to know your students can be considered as an unofficial cheat code to creating resources that students will want to engage with. For example, if your students love dogs, it can be beneficial to include references on worksheets or select texts about this particular interest to maintain student engagement.
- Choose a platform to build your resources: Creating quality resources does not have to be hard! You can use platforms you are familiar with such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Microsoft Word to write the text or insert fun images to keep kids engaged.
Join the Conversation With Teachers Everywhere
The world of education is better when we work together! As you discover our high-quality teaching resources, we’d love to hear how they impact you and your classroom. Help your fellow teachers refine their collection of teaching resources by connecting with us on social media and adding your findings to the comments section.
