Some rules for writing textbooks. Guidelines for developing a teaching aid Educational and methodological manual writing requirements
Any of us studies or studied at a university, and has a colossal amount of knowledge, but every second person is “blown away” when asked what a teaching aid is. No, of course, we all understand that we are talking about a textbook, reference book, literature that helps to learn; but only a few know exactly what it is. Well, let's try to figure it out together.
What is a teaching aid and its features
So, teaching aid is an official printed publication, the content of which fully corresponds to the curriculum for a particular specialty at the university.
If we speak in simple and accessible language, then this is the most ordinary manual, which is transferred to students for temporary use from course to course.
This is a small reference book, a hint, or even a summary, which most often touches on only one topic, but in detail.
Using the manuals, they not only perform practical and laboratory work in the classroom, but also correctly prepare reports in accordance with all the requirements set by the Ministry of Education.
So we can safely say that the educational manual is an indispensable assistant in lectures and practical classes at the university.
Since I admire this printed publication so much, it’s time to talk about its significant advantages, compared to the rest of the literature that is publicly available in every student library or reading room.
Advantages of the teaching aid
1. This publication offers brief abstract information on a given topic, which is much easier to digest and remember.
2. A manual is a kind of instruction or cheat sheet on how to perform tasks in practice, and what aspects of your work you must pay attention to.
3. The manual helps with the design and presentation of the work, and, as you know, this also adds an additional point to the final grade.
4. The number of pages of the manual does not exceed 30 - 50, which means that carrying such a book in a backpack or bag is not at all difficult.
5. If you wish and have the skills, the manual can be used in the exam as a real hint on the topic. When you don’t have your own cheat sheets, and there’s a draft in your head, this is the ideal solution, so it’s better not to forget the manual for an important exam.
However, this educational and methodological manual has its significant drawbacks, which you also need to know about in advance so as not to be left behind:
1. Manuals are in high demand among students, so sometimes it’s simply not possible to get an extra copy from the library for a subscription. You have to ask your desk neighbor, or copy it on a photocopier at your own expense, of course.
2. Manuals have invisible “legs”. Yes, yes, this is the printed publication that can disappear in the middle of a couple in an unknown direction and never return.
Again, increased demand takes its toll, so it’s best to keep your ears open and your own manual in sight, otherwise problems with a strict librarian in the future simply cannot be avoided.
3.Manuals have a subjective opinion on a particular topic, and this is explained simply - they are created under the editorship of one of the teachers of the department.
Personal hostility and the eternal competition of teachers, and your answer according to the manual is not just erroneous, but a “real mockery” of science (I remember it from my own experience).
But in general, you shouldn’t pay attention to such trifles, because the teaching aid, whatever one may say, brings enlightenment to the masses, and this is a great advantage for narrow-minded students.
So stock up on manuals and go into battle for new knowledge. The main thing is that the guards do not scatter due to your absent-mindedness.
Lost manual
I don’t want to scare anyone, but I simply have to warn you that the loss of a manual is not just a nuisance, it is a tragedy on a universal scale for librarians.
First, they begin to sigh and groan from the confession they heard, then they pass this information on from shift to shift, then they come up with a punishment for the absent-minded student and, finally, they remember his last name and put it “on a pencil.”
Believe me, the moment you lost your teaching aid, you made enemies in the entire library staff, including the cleaning lady. There are two ways out of the situation:
1. Photocopy the same manual and submit it to the library;
2. Buy a new book for the library at your own compulsory request.
After this, the conflict is over, but the librarian will continue to tease you for a long time every time you visit the library and, especially, pick up a book.
Where do the manuals come from?
The question, of course, is stupid, but in this topic it is very relevant. So who issues these instructions?
The answer is obvious: open the first page and read the author's name. As a rule, the authors are teachers of their own department, who recommend purchasing a specific manual. Well, our teachers will never die from modesty, but they have written a lot of training manuals.
The funny thing is that each author praises only his own creation, and does not advise paying attention to the manuals of his conditional competitors. But whether you like it or not, we all studied according to manuals and continue to do so in modern students.
Here we come to the second main issue, which is on the agenda and is especially of concern to many graduate students and teachers who have not yet dealt with writing such printed publications.
How to write and compile a manual correctly?
In order not to write anything unnecessary, let’s move straight to the topic, and we’ll also write out the process of writing the manual according to plan, for greater convenience, so to speak.
1. It is necessary to decide on the topic to which the planned printed publication will be devoted. You can start with easy information, but in subsequent manuals you can touch on more global scientific issues.
2. It is advisable to study information on the topic not from the Internet, which many consider a “cesspool”. You shouldn’t take risks, because on the Internet you can use an unreliable source as a basis, and by accident. It is better to pay attention to proven authors, real books and actual primary sources, of which there are plenty in the library.
3. So that the learned theory does not seem meaningless, you need to mentally translate it into your practical knowledge, so that in the end you have a clear idea of what you will write about in the educational manual in the future.
4. It is advisable to start your work with a preliminary plan, which can consist of short sentences or succinct theses. This is very important, otherwise you may miss some important information on the topic being studied.
5. The manual is a cheat sheet, so it should answer in detail the list of main questions. That is why it is advisable to think through their content in advance, and not lose sight of any of them.
6. The content of the manual should not be complex, and all the material presented should be described succinctly, but in simple and easy to read language, so that the student does not lose interest and abandon it after a boring reading of the first paragraph.
7. All literature used must be certified after the content, and its design also complies with certain norms and rules that are important to comply with.
8. Study all the rules for formatting the work and proceed to further writing your first teaching aid.
9. Check the finished work using the services of a proofreader (unless, of course, you are a philologist).
10. Submit for review and then for publication.
If you decide to write your own educational manual, then you must remember the basic rules that will raise the rating of your work, and not leave it unnecessarily collecting dust on a shelf in the library for many years.
Rule one. It is very important to study the curriculum so that the training manual corresponds to the topic and does not turn out to be useless or irrelevant.
Rule two. The structure should not only correspond to one topic and not wobble, but also contain up-to-date information, the latest information and new discoveries and knowledge. In general, a teaching aid should not fall into the category of “morally outdated literature.”
Rule three. The material selected for writing must be structured, accessible, logical, natural and understandable for students. It is advisable to use short phrases and small paragraphs, numbered and bulleted lists, abstracts, various graphic highlights, and, if necessary, tables and graphs.
Rule four. The bibliography should be succinct and detailed, and compiled in accordance with the requirements.
Rule five. Complex terminology is not welcome, and if its participation cannot be avoided, then it is advisable to explain in detail the meaning of a particular word, phrase, or expression.
Otherwise, your teaching aid is unlikely to assist a good half of students in their studies.
Conclusion: Do you need a manual? Choose the most shabby one - it is clearly popular and in demand among the masses! You have decided to write your own educational manual, then express your thoughts simply, clearly, and concisely.
Only then will students take note of such a fascinating publication.
Now you know about what is a teaching aid.
Toolkit
Toolkit- a type of educational and methodological publication that includes extensive systematized material that reveals the content, distinctive features of teaching methods for any educational course as a whole, or a significant section(s) of the course, or in the area of educational work. In addition to theoretical material, it may contain lesson plans and notes, as well as didactic material in the form of illustrations, tables, diagrams, drawings, etc. It is characterized by a pronounced practical orientation, accessibility, and is intended to help the teacher in his daily work.
Toolkit is a publication intended to help teachers for practical application in practice, in which the main emphasis is on teaching methods. Any manual is based on specific examples and recommendations.
A methodological manual differs from methodological recommendations in that it contains, along with practical recommendations, also theoretical provisions that reveal existing points of view on the issue being presented in pedagogical science. In the methodological recommendations, the theory of the issue is given minimally.
The authors of methodological manuals are, as a rule, experienced teachers and methodologists who are able to systematize the practical material of their own work and the work of professional colleagues, take into account and use theoretical developments of modern pedagogy in justifying the proposed methods.
The task methodological manual is to provide practical assistance to teachers and methodologists of an educational institution in acquiring and mastering advanced knowledge of both theoretical and practical nature.
Requirements for teaching aids
Information content, maximum saturation (there should be no general phrases).
Clarity and clarity of presentation (popularity).
Clarity of structure.
Availability of original ways of organizing relevant activities.
The presence of either new methodological methods of forms of activity, or their new combination.
Availability of confirmation of the effectiveness of the proposed approaches with examples, illustrations, or experimental testing materials.
Structure of the manual includes:
Introduction or explanatory note– up to 15% of the text, where the history of the issue is revealed, the state of science on this problem is analyzed, the presence or absence of similar methods and technologies that justify the need for this manual. The features of the construction of the manual, the purpose, and to whom it is addressed are described.
Main part– up to 75% of the text; in the main part of the manual, depending on the purpose and goals, there may be various sections (chapters). Their name, quantity, and sequence are determined and logically arranged depending on the author’s intention.
For example:
Chapter 1 - outlines the theoretical material being studied;
Chapter 2 - describes the main methods, technologies used or recommended for successfully resolving the issue;
Chapter 3 - list and description of practical work with recommendations for their implementation;
Chapter 4 - control tasks to check the mastery of the material.
The theoretical part sets out in brief form (with reference to relevant works, if necessary) the scientific and pedagogical rationale for the content of the manual, and characterizes the author’s own methodological position in relation to the children’s education system, which has its own specific features.
The practical part systematizes and classifies factual material, contains practical recommendations, and provides typical examples of certain forms and methods of work in an educational institution.
The didactic part contains didactic materials (diagrams, tables, drawings, etc.) illustrating practical material.
Conclusion– up to 10% of the text, sets out brief, clear conclusions and results that logically follow from the content of the methodological manual, in which direction it is planned to work further.
Literature– the list of references is given in alphabetical order, indicating the author, full title, place of publication, publisher, year of publication.
Applications include materials necessary for organizing the recommended type of activity using this manual, but not included in the main text. The applications may include various necessary regulatory documents, including those of an educational institution, the use of which will allow the teacher or methodologist to organize their work in accordance with existing requirements.
Applications are located at the very end of the work in the order they are mentioned in the text. Each application starts on a new page and has its own name. In the upper right corner of the page write the word “Appendix” and put its number (for example, “Appendix 1”). The appendices have continuous page numbering (methodological recommendations end with page 16, the appendix starts with 17).
Toolkit must contain all the components that are included in the publication, and in addition to the main text, the manuscript must include a cover, title page and back of the title page.
On cover in the center is the title of the work, I.O.F. the author is placed above the title. You should remember that the initials are written first, and then the last name. At the bottom, in the center of the sheet, the name of the city or region and the year are indicated. There are no punctuation marks.
Drawings and photographs on the cover must correspond to the content of the manuscript.
On title page the title is written above the title I.O.F. author. At the top center is written the name of the organization on whose behalf the publication is published, with the name of the parent organization. At the bottom, in the center of the sheet, the name of the city or region and the year are indicated. There are no punctuation marks.
Back of title page contains the surname, first name, patronymic of the author, position, place of work, qualification category or academic degree, as well as an abstract to the work. The abstract contains the following concise information:
It is indicated what this manual is devoted to;
The purpose of this teaching aid, i.e. what kind of help this work is intended to provide and to whom;
possible areas of application of the proposed type of methodological products (where this manual can be used).
Technical requirements for the design of the methodological manual
The text part of the manuscript must be typed on a computer (A4: 210X297), format A 4. The spacing between lines is 1 or 1.5. To type text, formulas and tables, you must use the Microsoft Word editor for Windows. Font - Times New Roman, size 14. If it is necessary to highlight a word or sentence in the text, highlight it in bold or italics, but always in 14 font. Underlining is not allowed. Paragraphs begin with a red line. Red line – 1.27. Hyphenation and alignment in width are not allowed in the text. Words in headings and subheadings are not hyphenated. Underlining them is not allowed, and a period is not placed at the end of the title. The texts of structural elements - sections - should begin with a new paragraph. It is necessary to remember the importance of dividing (categorizing) the text using paragraphs - indenting a line when starting a new semantic part. Page numbers are in Arabic numerals, at the bottom of the page, centered, the title page is included in the overall numbering. Numbering begins with the main text.
Constant fields:
Top margin – 2 cm. Bottom margin – 2.5 cm.
Left margin – 3 cm. Right margin – 1 cm.
Tutorial is considered as an addition to the textbook. The textbook may not cover the entire discipline, but only part (several sections) of the sample program. Unlike a textbook, a manual can include not only proven, generally accepted knowledge and provisions, but also different opinions on a particular issue.
The manual may contain different types of educational and methodological materials: printed publications, digital educational tools, specialized Internet sites for training, etc.
When developing teaching aids, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the subject/discipline.
1. The manual, as a rule, is developed according to the subject/discipline of the curriculum, including the regional component.
2. The title of the manual must contain the name of the subject/discipline.
3. Priority is given to benefits:
o using innovative teaching methods (modular teaching principle, use of a point-rating system, competency-based approach, etc.);
o included in the educational and methodological complex in the subject/discipline.
Required elements are:
1) title page;
3) introduction;
4) the main part of the document;
5) conclusion;
6) list of sources used;
7) lists of symbols, abbreviations and terms;
8) applications.
The title page serves as the cover of the document and must contain the following information:
1. Name of the parent organization.
2. Name of the organization where the work was performed.
3. Title of work: educational and methodological manual.
4. Topic (by subject/discipline).
6. Locality and year of completion of the work.
introduction, names of all chapters, sections, subsections, paragraphs (if they have names), conclusion, list of sources used, appendices (if available).
Introduction should contain a brief assessment of the state of the issue under study, the problems and relevance of the chosen topic, the goals and objectives of the research, the object and subject of the research, the methods, techniques and technologies used, and an assessment of the practical significance. The volume of the introduction should be no more than 3-5 pages of printed text.
IN main part provide data reflecting the essence and basic material on the subject/discipline under consideration.
The main part should contain:
Justification of the chosen topic (direction of research), methods for solving problems in the subject/discipline being studied;
The process of theoretical or experimental research, including the principles of operation of the developed programs and their characteristics;
Generalization and evaluation of research results, including assessment of the completeness of the solution to the problem.
Conclusion should contain brief conclusions based on the results of the research performed and an assessment of the completeness of the solution to the assigned tasks.
List of sources used (literatures, websites, etc.) must be compiled in accordance with the provisions “General requirements and rules for compiling a bibliography” and contain bibliographic information about literary sources.
Applications may include
Illustrations of an auxiliary nature;
Instructions and techniques developed in the process of performing the work;
Auxiliary Digital Data Tables.
The work must be logically consistent, observing a unified presentation style, as well as spelling, syntactic, and stylistic literacy.
Compliance with general didactic principles
The educational and methodological manual should be created taking into account the following didactic principles: personality-oriented, activity-based, functional, scientific, systematic, accessible, developmental education, continuity, as well as taking into account communicative-cognitive and sociocultural approaches to the study of the subject/discipline.
The developed training content should be focused on education, upbringing and development personalities student.
Personal The meaning of the content, in particular, can be expressed in:
Taking into account the age characteristics of students, their interests, capabilities, needs, in the selection of subject content that relates to the real problems of students;
Possibility of choosing the level (basic or specialized) at which the subject/discipline is studied;
Taking into account the professional aspirations of students, their needs for self-determination;
Formulation of requirements for student training.
Necessity continuity with the goals and content of training.
Compliance of the goals, objectives and content of the teaching aid with regulatory documents
The educational and methodological materials of the manual must comply with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of General Education/Federal State Standard for the professions of NPO and SVE and ensure the achievement of educational goals.
Development communicative competence in the totality of its components – sociocultural, compensatory, educational and cognitive:
sociocultural competence – expanding the volume of knowledge about the sociocultural specifics of the subject/discipline being studied, corresponding to the experience, interests, and psychological characteristics of students;
compensatory competence – improving skills to overcome situations in conditions of lack of knowledge in a subject/discipline, including in profile-oriented communication situations;
educational and cognitive competence – further development of general and special educational skills that allow improving educational activities in mastering the subject/discipline being studied, increasing its productivity, as well as using the subject/discipline being studied for the purpose of continuing education and self-education, including within the chosen profile. Familiarization with the ways and techniques available to students for independent study of a subject/discipline, including the use of new information technologies.
Development and education abilities for personal and professional self-determination of students, their social adaptation; formation of an active life position as a citizen and patriot, as well as a subject of intercultural interaction; development of national self-awareness, the desire for mutual understanding between people of different communities, a tolerant attitude towards manifestations of another culture; development of such personal qualities as communication culture, ability to work in cooperation; developing the ability and readiness to independently study a subject/discipline; acquiring experience in creative activities of design and research work using the subject/discipline being studied, including in line with the chosen profile.
Formation of general educational abilities, skills and methods of activity
One of the main goals of the modern education system is the formation of skills to work with information, the formation of critical and creative thinking.
Thus, the most important direction in training is the focus on developing skills in working with information (searching for additional information, analyzing it, assessing the significance for solving the problem, generalization, conclusions, forecasting further development, etc.). The manual may include special tasks designed for joint activities in small cooperation groups, searching for additional information indicating relevant Internet resources, tasks for organizing discussions, project activities, including telecommunications of various types, including international telecommunications projects, research activities , tasks designed to organize a situational analysis, as well as recommendations for the purpose of developing the ability to reflect.
Focus on developing students' information culture
The educational and methodological manual being created should be focused on the formation and development of students’ information culture. This involves increased attention to the development of communicative and cognitive skills, such as:
Organize cognitive activity independently and motivatedly (from goal setting to obtaining and evaluating results);
Participate in project activities and educational and research work;
Search for the necessary information on a given topic in various types of sources, including the Internet;
Extract the necessary information from sources created in various sign systems (text, table, graph, audiovisual, etc.);
Translate information from one sign system to another (from text to table, from audiovisual series to text, etc.);
Separate basic information from secondary information;
Critically evaluate the reliability of perceived information;
Convey the content of information adequately for the purpose set
(compressed, complete, selective);
Substantiate your judgments in a detailed, reasoned manner, give definitions, provide evidence, illustrate them with examples;
Create material for oral presentations using multimedia technologies.
Rational combination of traditional and digital teaching tools
Brief description of traditional teaching materials
Component of educational materials of the manual
Requirements for the teaching materials component of the manual
to the teaching materials component of the manual
Educational and methodological materials for the manual:
1) allowance
Be a comprehensive program of work, built taking into account general didactic principles and requirements for the educational process in the subject;
Present all components of the system (goals, content, methods and techniques of teaching;
Combine information,
motivational, organizational planning, communication and control functions;
Organize and provide financial support for a lesson/activity;
Visually present to students the material they are studying, activate the visual and motor channels of students’ perception, provide a positive emotional impact, taking into account the psychological characteristics of students;
Be adequate to the age of students in form and content;
Create opportunities for level differentiation and individualization of learning through the diversity of materials used;
Highlight material for mandatory learning;
Manage the activities of the teacher and student, while ensuring flexibility of management, leaving room for their creativity;
Materials may contain additional tasks on all communication skills
Quality of teaching aidsassessed by experts based on the following indicators:
Name of evaluation criteria
Points by criterion
The relevance of the chosen topic, the originality of the work, the novelty of ideas and
methods, ways of their development. The value (practical value) of the work, taking into account the specifics of local conditions, goals and objectives of the educational process, student population and other factors.
The scientificity and reliability of development methods, the argumentation of the main provisions, taking into account the analysis of scientific and methodological literature and periodicals on research problems both abroad and in Russia.
Leading theoretical, pedagogical ideas, interdisciplinary connections in content; degree of scientific knowledge and practical significance; use of modern scientific and pedagogical approaches, information technologies, manufacturability of the manual (availability for use in teaching practice)
Prospects and practical significance of the work (level of completion of the work, target audience). Possibility of using the manual in other educational institutions (presence of a stamp and “recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation or the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus.”
Style, literacy of presentation and quality of work design.
Validity and evidence of conclusions when defending teaching aids and answers to questions.
Total
The assessment when defending a teaching aid assumes a maximum score (10) for each assessment item; when certifying for the first qualification category, the sum of points should not be less than 42 (at least 7 points for each point). The score when defending a teaching aid during certification for the highest qualification category should not be less than 48 (at least 8 points for each point).
