Instructional Materials and Textbooks

In many countries, a substantial number of students hold misconceptionsMisconceptions about geographic ideas and are not proficient in geography. Instructional materials and textbooks (IMT) shape geography education, whether in school or at home. Thus, helping geography teachers (and homeschooling parents) to select or create good IMT is important. After discussing the importance of IMT, this chapter will discuss the different kinds of IMT, and the ways educators can use them well. The chapter then discusses what educators need to know about IMT as well as sample criteria for selecting and/or creating IMT. The role of the efficient use of time in developing instructional materials is also addressed. The chapter concludes with remarks on the IMT market and the role of teacher educators there.