Blog Post
High-Quality Instructional Materials Boost Teacher and Student Performance
Every teacher knows that instructional materials matter. There isn’t a K-12 school in Australia that doesn’t do its absolute best to ensure comprehensive, accurate, engaging and effective resources are a mainstay in every classroom.
Our mission at Concord is to support those efforts.
Teachers spend hours every week finding resources to plan their lessons. We want to help streamline that process by giving schools the tools they need to develop a centralised bank of trusted instructional materials.
Ensuring that teachers have access to “high-quality instructional materials” (HQIM) can have a direct and measurable impact on learning outcomes. According to two studies in the USA:
What are High-Quality Instructional Materials?
Some international education systems, like those in the United States, have frameworks to ensure that instructional materials are “high quality”.3
Establishing an HQIM ecosystem for Australian schools doesn’t just mean elevating the quality of educational resources. It’s about making sure that both teachers and students can access those resources easily.
What are Australian Teachers Saying?
Free and open access to online content has dramatically increased over the years – giving teachers greater access to digital resources than ever before.
However, ensuring that those resources meet the teacher’s quality standards and that students receive consistent learning outcomes remains a challenge. In a 2022 study by the Grattan Institute:4
How Can LibPaths Help Meet Teachers’ Needs?
Concord’s LibPaths software provides a platform for compiling and accessing high-quality instructional materials and digital resources – simplifying the process of creating and sourcing lesson materials.
It’s an easy-to-use tool for educators to curate a bank of shared resource portals that are accessible all in one place. When a school implements a digital resource curation platform, like LibPaths, it empowers teachers to:
- Share vetted resources within their school ecosystem easily,
- Reduce the time spent on independent curriculum planning,
- Customise lesson materials to meet their students’ needs,
- Improve the school’s resources with a regular review process, and
- Engage students with interactive and immersive digital content.
As the only Australian company developing digital resource curation software, Concord advocates for better student outcomes for Australian kids. That means ensuring every teacher has the right tools to enable those outcomes.
Make your lesson planning more efficient and spend more time helping students achieve their potential. Book a demo with the experts from Concord to learn about LibPaths.
References:
1: Jackson, K., Makarin, A. (2016-2017). Can Online Off-the-Shelf Lessons Improve Student Outcomes? Evidence from a Field Experiment. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Vol 10 (3), pages 226-254. Retrieved from: https://www.nber.org/papers/w22398
2: Boser, U., Chingos, M., Straus, C. (2015). The Hidden Value of Curriculum Reform: Do States and Districts Receive the Most Bang for Their Curriculum Buck? Washington, DC: Center for American Progress. Retrieved from: https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/06111518/CurriculumMatters-report.pdf
3: Carter, J. (2024). Sharpening teacher tools: Creating an evidence-based standard for quality instructional materials. Sydney, Australia: The Centre for Independent Studies. Retrieved from: https://www.cis.org.au/publication/sharpening-teacher-tools-creating-an-evidence-based-standard-for-quality-instructional-materials/
4: Hunter, J., Haywood, A., Parkinson, N. (2022). Ending the lesson lottery: How to improve curriculum planning in schools. Melbourne, Australia: Grattan Institute. Retrieved from: https://grattan.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Ending-the-lesson-lottery-Survey-Results.pdf
