What makes a TLM...

…useful in class?

Hello all. Welcome to the 168th edition of TEPS Weekly!

Scenario 1: A teacher shows a beautiful chart on fractions. It is colourful and well labelled. Students look at it, copy the terms and repeat the words ‘numerator’ and ‘denominator’.

Scenario 2: Another teacher gives students paper circles, fraction strips and rangoli grids. Students fold, divide, compare, make halves and quarters and explain why two pieces are equal or unequal.

In both scenarios, the teacher has used material – but the learning experience is not the same.

In the first scenario, the material mainly helps students see the terms. In the second, the material helps students work with the idea. They can touch it, move it, compare it, question it and explain it.

A good TLM is not judged only by how neat, colourful or attractive it looks. It is judged by what it helps students understand and do.

A Teaching-Learning Material, or TLM, is any resource that helps students understand, practise, explore, explain or apply a concept. It can be a chart, model, map, flashcard, worksheet, textbook, story card, audio clip, video, digital activity, real object or locally available material.

The key word is learning – a TLM should not only help the teacher explain. It should help students engage with the concept in some way.

The National Curriculum Framework also gives TLMs an important role in classroom learning. It says that TLMs should be chosen according to the competencies and learning outcomes students are expected to achieve. It also highlights that students learn well when they actively engage with materials using their senses.

Teaching Aid vs. Teaching-Learning Material

The difference is not always in the material itself. It is in how the material is used.

Features of a good TLM

1. It is linked to a clear learning outcome.

A good TLM is based on a clear learning outcome. The teacher should not start with, “What chart can I make?” or “What material do I have?” The first question should be, “What should students understand, practise or show by the end of the lesson?” Once the outcome is clear, the choice of material becomes clearer too.

Example 1: If the learning outcome is ‘Students will understand multiplication as equal groups’, then bottle caps, seeds, bangles or ice-cream sticks can help. Students can make 3 groups of 4 bottle caps and count the total. Then they can make 4 groups of 3 and compare. The material helps them see that multiplication is not just a table to memorise. It is a way of putting equal groups together.

But if the outcome is ‘Students will recall multiplication facts quickly’, the same bottle caps may not be enough. The teacher may need oral practice, quick recall games, flashcards or timed challenges.

Example 2: If the learning outcome is ‘Students will use describing words in sentences’, picture cards can help only when they are used for that purpose.

A teacher may show a picture of a mango and ask, “How does it look? How does it feel? How does it taste?” Students may say yellow, sweet, soft, juicy. Then they use those words in sentences: “The mango is sweet.” “I ate a juicy mango.”

If students only say “mango,” the material is not supporting the outcome.

2. It makes the concept easier to understand

A good TLM should make the main idea clearer. Some concepts are difficult because students cannot easily see them. They may repeat the word, copy the definition or remember the label but still not understand the idea. A good TLM reduces this confusion. It helps students see, notice, compare or think about the concept more clearly.

Example 1: If students are learning fractions, a diagram may show one-half and one-fourth. But fraction strips allow students to place the pieces next to each other and compare them. They can see that one-half is larger than one-fourth. They can also place two one-fourth pieces over one-half and notice that they are equal. This makes the idea of equal parts clearer than only reading the terms.

Example 2: If students are learning directions, a local map can help them understand the idea better than a map of an unfamiliar place. The teacher can draw a simple map with the school gate, playground, temple, market, bus stop, or water tank. Students can trace the route from the school to the bus stop. They can say, “The market is opposite the temple,” or “The water tank is near the park.” Now words like near, far, left, right, opposite and beside become easier to understand.

3. It involves the learner actively

A good TLM is not something students only look at. They should be able to use it. This does not mean every lesson has to become noisy or overactive. It means students should engage with the material in a meaningful way. They may touch, move, sort, arrange, listen, compare, build, observe, describe or explain. When students use more than one sense, they often understand the concept better.

Example 1: If students are learning about leaves, real leaves are more useful than a picture when children actually work with them. They can touch the leaves, feel the texture, observe the veins, compare the edges and sort them by size, shape, colour or thickness. Then the teacher can ask, “Why did you put these leaves together?” Students begin to use observation and reasoning, not just names.

Example 2: If students are learning sentence structure, word cards can make the lesson active. Instead of only copying a sentence from the board, students get separate cards: The, dog, is, running. They arrange the words, read the sentence aloud and then try changing one card: ‘The dog is sleeping.’ ‘The brown dog is running.’ They can also notice when the order sounds wrong. This helps them understand how sentences are built.

4. It helps the teacher see student thinking

A good TLM also helps the teacher understand what students know. When students use a material, the teacher can observe their choices, mistakes, explanations and questions. This gives quick feedback during the lesson. The teacher does not have to wait for a worksheet or test to know who is confused.

Example 1: When students build equal groups with counters, the teacher can immediately see their thinking. One child may make 3 groups of 4 correctly. Another may make groups of different sizes. Another may count all the counters but not understand why the groups must be equal. The material helps the teacher notice the exact confusion: is the child struggling with counting, grouping, or the idea of equal groups?

Example 2:  When students arrange story cards, the teacher can see whether they understand sequence. If the cards show a child planting a seed, watering it, seeing a sprout, and then seeing a plant, students have to arrange the events in order. If a child places the plant before the seed, the teacher knows the child needs support with sequence and cause-effect. This is more useful than simply asking, “Did you understand the story?”

5. It connects to the real world

A good TLM feels familiar to students. This is especially important in Indian classrooms, where children may come from different languages, homes, and local experiences. When the material connects to something students already know, they get an easier entry point into the lesson.

Example 1: If students are learning money, shop bills and price tags can make the lesson real. Instead of only solving sums like ₹20 + ₹15, students can look at an empty biscuit packet, a milk packet or a price tag. They can “buy” two items, add the cost, compare prices and find how much money is left. Now addition and subtraction are connected to something they may have seen at a shop.

Example 2: If students are learning about maps and community places, the school neighbourhood can become the TLM. The teacher can use familiar places like the school gate, bus stop, water tank, market, temple, mosque, park or nearby shop. Students can talk about what each place is used for, who works there, and how people move from one place to another. The material is not far from their life. It comes from their own surroundings.

6. It is simple, safe, and easy to use

A good TLM should make the lesson smoother, not harder. It should be clear, readable, safe, age-appropriate, durable and easy to handle. This becomes even more important when students are using the material in pairs or groups.

Example 1: A chart with five clear pictures may work better than one crowded with twenty images. For example, if the chart is about food groups, it is better to show a few clear examples under each group than to fill the chart with too many pictures, labels and colours. If children cannot read it from where they are sitting, or do not know where to look first, the chart will not support learning.

Example 2: If students are using number cards, they should be large enough to read and strong enough to handle. If the cards are too small, too thin, or easily torn, the teacher may spend more time managing the material than teaching. Similarly, counters should be safe. For younger children, very tiny seeds, broken plastic pieces or sharp objects can become a problem.

7. It is reusable, adaptable and locally available

A good TLM does not always have to be bought. Many teachers do not have large budgets, ready-made kits or extra preparation time. But strong TLMs can often be made from simple materials around us. What matters is not the cost of the material, but the purpose behind using it. A good TLM can also be used in more than one way. This gives it multi-utility value.

Example 1: The same bottle caps can be used across many lessons. In one lesson, students use them for counting. In another, they make equal groups for multiplication. Later, they sort them by colour, make patterns, show addition and subtraction, or use them for a simple probability activity by picking caps from a bag. The material is simple, but the teacher’s purpose changes.

Example 2: Empty packets can be used for reading labels, identifying numbers, comparing weights, discussing healthy food, or making a class shop. Old newspapers can be used for reading headlines, finding letters or words, cutting pictures for classification, or discussing current events. Old calendars can be used for dates, days, months, festivals, sequencing, and number work.

Seeds, sticks, pebbles, leaves, old newspapers, cartons, cardboard, matchboxes, fabric pieces, thread, bottle caps, old invitation cards, and empty packets can all become useful TLMs when the teacher uses them with a clear purpose.

A good TLM is not an extra item added to the lesson. It is part of the learning process. It helps the teacher move from explanation to experience. It helps students move from listening to doing. And it gives the teacher a way to notice whether learning is actually happening.

So before we call any material a good TLM, we need to ask:

1. Is it linked to the learning outcome?

2. Does it make the concept clearer?

3. Does it involve students actively?

4. Does it help the teacher see student thinking?

5. Does it connect to the child’s world?

6. Is it simple, safe and easy to use?

7. Can it be reused, adapted or made from locally available materials?

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Edition: 5.23