Advice for teachers about how to choose learning materials

Teachers are experts on learning. They also need learning materials to support their expertise and ensure that students have a dynamic and impactful education. Yet, with the sheer number of learning materials available, it can be easy to rush the selection or choose materials that don’t maximise teachers’ abilities or accommodate all students.

A 2025 study discovered that learning materials not only influence classroom delivery but also instructional design and professional development. And, they support teachers throughout the entirety of their educational career.

So, how can educators get more intentional about selecting learning materials, given time and budget constraints? Below is advice for teachers about how to effectively evaluate, adapt, and implement learning materials in the classroom.

Patterns in how teachers choose learning materials

How teachers choose and use learning materials tends to depend on what stage you’re in your careers. Understanding the differences can help you identify patterns in your own selection process.

• Early-stage teachers: New staff often rely heavily on pre-packaged materials like textbooks and exam papers, while they develop an instinct for what works. They have a limited capacity to critically evaluate materials or adapt them for specific learner needs. However, they may also be more thorough than their more experienced peers, because they know they can’t trust themselves to improvise if there are any issues.

• Mid-career teachers: As they grow in confidence, teachers may become more selective about learning materials. They understand from experience what works and what doesn’t, and might create their own materials from scratch to fill in gaps they see in the coursebook curriculum.

• Experienced teachers: After years in education, teachers have usually curated a collection of learning materials and continue to build upon this resource. They’re likely to have become extremely skilled at creating and modifying materials, too. While they can deliver to a high standard, there’s a risk they’ll become complacent and unwilling to experiment with learning materials.

Regardless of experience, teachers mostly encounter the same pitfall – they choose learning materials based on convenience rather than quality or alignment. The result is that lessons may not support every learner, teaching methods are less likely to keep pace with advances, and professional development can stall.

How to select quality learning materials

A heavy workload can hinder the quality of learning materials that teachers pick. To avoid compromising quality, ask yourself the following questions:

1. ‘Do the learning materials align with curriculum objectives?’

Every resource should help students move closer towards a specific goal, whether mastering their nine times table in Maths or developing stronger critical thinking skills. If they don’t contribute to a goal, you should reconsider whether the material belongs on the syllabus.

2. ‘Do they align with assessment criteria?’

While high marks shouldn’t be the sole consideration, the choice of materials should generally help students perform better in tests.

3. ‘Is the level of the materials appropriate?’

Timing is key when it comes to learning materials. If the level of the learning material is too advanced or if students have already surpassed its content level, they’ll be unlikely to engage well with it.

4. ‘Does the material support the full scope of study?’

Resources should guide students from the introduction of a topic through to mastering it. If the resource is too niche or limited, it may not be a good option to use.

5. ‘Do the materials support in-depth understanding?’

Good learning materials do more than explain basic concepts, they provide detailed descriptions and use a range of images, text and interactive components. They should cover the granular elements of a topic that help inform students’ wider understanding of, and between, subjects.

6. ‘Can the material easily be adapted to learners’ needs?’

Learning materials need to be flexible enough to modify according to diverse learners’ needs. For example, if a book does not have a digital format that can change text font, size, and colour contrast for students with visual impairments, it may not be worthwhile.

7. ‘Do materials expose teachers and learners to new learning strategies?’

Up-to-date materials give you a chance to experiment and find new approaches for classroom delivery. The materials should make lessons more engaging and allow students to learn in more innovative ways.

Considerations when implementing learning materials

How teachers implement learning materials is just as crucial as the materials themselves. The timing, scenario, and support resources all make a difference to boost the value of the materials in the classroom.

When implementing new learning materials, you should keep the following in mind:

• Anticipate how students will respond to materials and consider how to overcome potential challenges. For example, are they likely to misunderstand certain parts of the task section? Will they be hesitant to try certain activities?
• Keep copies of the materials you share with students, but make teachers’ notes on them. You can add hints, example answers and quick extension activities that you share during the instruction stage.
• Be prepared to abandon new materials mid-lesson if they don’t serve students – not everything is going to work as you intended.
• Share effective materials with colleagues and ask them what they’ve found to be especially useful.
• Arrange peer observations where you watch colleagues use the same resources and see what they do differently. You can provide feedback and get inspiration for your own classes.
• Curate materials over time and consider what may have become outdated as student needs, classroom practices and syllabi change.
• Reflect on your approach to see where you can make improvements and use materials more effectively.

Learning materials make leaps in progress

It’s easy to assume that choosing learning materials is an administrative task rather than a professional skill. However, the materials you bring into your classroom are tools that enhance your teaching expertise, and are aids for many students who need varied forms of learning activities.

Being intentional in how you choose and implement learning materials not only improves your teaching preparation and process, it gives more students a greater chance of success in the classroom.

Further reading

Discover more tools to bring your classroom to life. Read What are enrichment activities and why should you be doing them with your students? And How art and creativity in the classroom support student health and wellbeing.