Instructional Materials for Diverse Learners

Abstract

In today's diverse classrooms, teachers need and students deserve educational tools that serve a wide range of learners. Fortunately, making instructional materials more accommodating does not have to mean sacrificing the needs of one group of students for those of another. Many features that are good for diverse learners are good for all learners. Text characteristics that have been shown to enhance learning are proposed to improve the audience appropriateness, text organization, and use of organizational aids in instructional materials. Reform of the design, selection, and use of materials will require a concerted effort by publishers, policymakers, and practitioners.