Whether you are a teacher planning tomorrow’s lesson or a parent searching for something worthwhile for your child to learn at home, finding educational content is easier than ever before
What is difficult, however, is determining what you find is actually worth your time
A vibrant worksheet, entertaining video, downloadable activity, or even a well-known educational website could contain outdated information, ineffective explanations, or unhelpful activities.
Quality educational content makes a huge difference because children can absorb incorrect information quite easily from any source that explains it convincingly. Luckily, you do not need to be an expert education researcher to do this.
You only need a few reliable resources and a method for evaluating what you find. By analyzing the author, evidence, accuracy, grade level, intent, presentation, and effectiveness, you can easily distinguish genuinely helpful educational content from an unproductive attempt at education.
Start by Checking Who Created the Educational Resource
Before you use a worksheet, website, video, article, or activity for a child, take a moment to discover who created it. This is one of the simplest steps you can take to begin determining quality.
A resource does not become quality just because it has attractive graphics or high rankings on popular search engines. Look for the author’s name, their qualifications, the company, or any other information that can give you reason to trust this person or organization to speak about this topic.
You should also consider why the resource was created. Is the intended purpose to educate, inform, entertain, or sell? Commercial resources are not necessarily low quality, but you should be careful when educational information is being used to primarily sell a product or service.
A transparent author or organization makes it easier for you to investigate the information presented.
Technology can also assist you with this first step. For example, you can use an AI checker as part of your overall evaluation process to investigate specific areas of a digital resource, but it should not be used as a replacement for critical thinking.
Look for Reliable Evidence Behind What You Teach
Having identified the author or the educational resource, scrutinize the content or information provided that supports the key ideas behind the source.
Notably, quality and effectiveness are attributes that characterize good educational material, and, therefore, the resource should go beyond catchy declarations about learning. The information should be aligned with what is already known or understood about a subject.
While poring through published journal articles, it is not possible to read through each piece to identify the facts or the information that has been substantiated. Instead, seek references, links, or notes that provide validation, research reviews, or significant information highlights.
Moreover, the above strategy might enhance the learning process. For instance, parents who homeschool their children on financial matters can even help children understand different types of investment.
A parent must identify materials suitable for a child and present to them in a way they comprehend without overcomplicating key terms and concepts.
Though the above suggestions might seem important in finding reliable sources of educational materials, one must remember that findings from one sample might not apply in another situation.
Check whether the Information is Current and Accurate
Educational resources can become outdated over time, especially with technology, science, geography, current events, health, digital citizenship, and educational standards. The resource you used may have been great a few years ago, but may need some refreshing.
Find a date of publication or last update/renewal, and see if that resource is relevant to your topic. A math resource may stay relevant for longer than a technology resource.
Double-check important facts, and make sure that they are correct. If a worksheet says something odd in a math problem, check another resource. If a video says something that seems odd in context, see if a government, educational, or trusted institution source says it too.
It does not mean that the resource has to explicitly say something; it just has to say things that back up the resource’s information.
Government education agencies recommend looking over the resource for up-to-date research, credible references, factual information, and an appropriate edition.
Match the Resource to Your Child’s Actual Learning Level
A resource can be accurate yet completely inappropriate for the learner in front of you. Before using any resource, ask yourself if the reading level, vocabulary, instructions, examples, and activities are appropriate for the age level and readiness of your students.
For example, an activity on a teen website could technically be used by a younger child.
However, it is not developmentally appropriate because the reading level or complexity might be too advanced, the instructions might be too detailed, or the activity assumes the child has more background information than they have.
On the flip side, a resource can be too easy for a child and cause them to be uninterested, therefore not learning anything.
In addition, look at the learning objective of the resource. Ask yourself, “What should my students know or be able to do after using this resource?” If you cannot answer this question, the resource might not have a meaningful educational value.
Furthermore, think about how it can be modified. A good resource has various methods of modification, allowing you to alter the instructions, examples, difficulty, and more. Educational resource guidance recommends considering adaptability when selecting resources.
Examine whether the Activities actually Encourage Learning
An educational resource should do more than simply entertain children. A worksheet with engaging illustrations may be eye-catching, but it is important to consider the type of interaction the child may have with the information.
Seek opportunities for thinking, explaining, comparing, creating, problem-solving, practicing, asking, or linking new information with previous experience.
For example, when completing a reading-based activity, it is important to encourage children to explain a point in the text rather than simply ask the child to circle an answer.
Additionally, hands-on activities and games should also promote thinking. If a science-based activity simply asks children to observe an item, is the child encouraged to make predictions and explain what occurred?
Or if a mathematics game asks children to complete an equation, are the children encouraged to think through the process, or are they simply asked to provide an answer?
This is not to say that all activities need to be thought-provoking but rather that simple activities can be made meaningful by providing the opportunity for children to share and explain what they are doing. Teachers and parents should consider the value of the activity based on the learning it promotes.
Check the Visuals, Examples, and Language Carefully
Children can absorb the information they are presented with quickly. Therefore, the presentation of the information is key to learning. The significance of images, diagrams, examples, explanations, and language should be considered.
The first thing to focus on is illustrations. Do they add meaning to the presented material or just serve their purpose of making the resource colorful or exciting? Are the diagrams correctly labeled? Are graphs easy to read? Are examples applicable and realistic for the age group?
Next, read the instructions. Try to understand them through the eyes of a child. Can a child decipher the instructions with ease and complete the task without additional help and explanations from the educator? If not, the resource may be inappropriate even though the information is presented correctly.
This does not mean that a teacher cannot modify the resource, but it should be noted and not used in its original form.
The visual appeal should not be the sole deciding factor in choosing teaching resources because one might mistake a beautifully organized, yet wrong resource for a good one. A simple worksheet might be a great tool for practicing a new skill if it is designed correctly.
Look for Bias and Make Sure Children can see Different Perspectives
Quality educational resources help kids to learn about the world around them in a way that introduces them to fewer stereotypes and misconceptions. It is especially essential for resources that provide information regarding people, cultures, history, and various other topics.
When assessing a resource, it is essential to remember whose experiences are portrayed there. Are all the different groups portrayed respectfully? Are there stereotypes presented?
Does the resource present one particular point of view as the sole or most accurate one when the topic is more complicated than it seems?
It is also crucial to differentiate between objective and subjective information. Resources, just like people, may have a particular worldview, but it is essential to understand what one’s perspective is.
Moreover, it is helpful to teach kids to ask these questions. Instead of telling them that something is a credible resource, ask them why they think so. What did the creators of this resource say that made them think this way?
Studies regarding kids’ research online show that there are explicit instructions for teaching students to evaluate sources based on specific criteria that help them justify their answers.
Test the Resource Before Making it Part of Your Regular Teaching
Even after reading an educational resource carefully, one will learn something important when using it. A resource may look great on a screen but be confusing to a child interacting with it.
To avoid this, one should try the activity out themselves, when possible, and see how well one understands it.
Read over the instructions and do a few questions, watch the whole video, or go through any examples provided. Then, observe how the child interacts with the resource.
Does the child understand the task? Are they asking questions because the topic is inherently confusing, or because the resource explains it poorly? Are they connecting the material well, or are they frustrated for no other reason?
One’s observations are valuable information. If a resource tends to confuse children, it does not necessarily mean a child needs more work on a topic–it may be the resource that needs to be changed.
Teachers can take this one step further and keep a list of resources that are good for certain types of people, taking the guesswork out of finding something that works for a student.
Final Thoughts
Finding educational content is no longer the problem. There are worksheets, videos, activities, articles, games, lesson plans, and other media that someone might try to use to help kids learn.
The trick is knowing what is worth your time and effort. But how can you be sure something is worthy of a child’s education? You can be, if you know what to look for when vetting educational content for kids.
Check out the creator, ask questions about claims made by the resource, evaluate how up-to-date it is, make sure it is developmentally appropriate, and look at how well it promotes higher-order thinking.
Think critically about the language used, graphics, potential bias, and stereotyping, and test out resources before deciding on them. By being able to critically evaluate resources, you can give children the kind of learning experiences they deserve.
