Question:

Submitted by Sokun Chea, National Institute of Education, Cambodia

What are the qualities of effective teaching materials?

Dr. Richards responds:

Effective materials do many of the things a teacher would normally do as part of his or her teaching.

These include:

• Arouse the learners’ interest.
• 
Remind them of earlier learning.
• Tell them what they will be learning next.
• Explain new learning content to them.
• Set clear learning targets.
• Provide them with strategies to use in learning.
• Provide opportunities for meaningful practice.