How to select materials for curriculum

Curriculum Materials Selection process
The process of selecting instructional materials is one important aspect of the end result that schools seek to achieve with their students. The curriculum materials selection process needs to be thorough and well informed and well researched by a team of experts in education. There are several considerations that need to be put in place by schools while selecting their curriculum material as follows;
There is need to have consistent, coherent and coordinated framework for science content. Science content should be consistent with national, state, and local standards and benchmarks. The material should also have a systematic and organized approach to instructions, an approach that gives room for interaction between the students and teachers, gives room for various teaching strategies and gives time for the students to acquire knowledge. The material should also integrate Psychological Principles Relative to Cognition, Motivation, Development, and Social Psychology. The material also need to have varied curriculum emphases, this is in recognition of the fact that not all students have the same strengths or demands. The curriculum materials also need to include the appropriate educational technologies for instance the inclusion of computers and the appropriate software. The materials also need to give a large range of opportunities to develop knowledge for both the students and the teachers (National Academy of Science, 2018).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on curriculum material
1. Is the material accessible to both the students and teachers
2. Is the material contemporary enough
3. Does the material in line with the national guidelines in the case of sciences
4. Dos the material encourage motivation and development among teachers and students?
5. Does the material balance the capacity of all the categories of students.
6. Is the material contemporary and involves variety of learning aid within it?
7. Is the material socially considerate and balanced to be sued by students from different backgrounds?
8. Is the media of delivery appropriate enough to suit the needs of the students?
9. Is the material appropriate for the subject area and for the age, emotional development, ability level, learning styles, and social development of the students for whom it is selected?

Selecting materials for students with special needs
In order to have meaningful material for students with special needs, there are special considerations that need to be looked at and considered first before the materials are settled on. It is important to know if the materials are accessible for the special needs students. The prints need to be large enough for the visually challenged and the totally blind students must have the Braille code version of the curriculum material (Willings C., n.d). The materials also need to have the ability to be differentiated, which means to be modified to meet the needs of diverse learners. Where possible, there is need to have the audio version of the curriculum materials. Central to the material meant for students with special needs is the accessibility of the material to all the students. The accessibility here includes Braille, audio, large print and digital print. These accessible materials gives the flexibility of the material meeting the needs of a wider range of students, even those who did not have the disability (University of the State of New York, 2016).

References
National Academy of Science, (2018). Selecting Instructional Material. Retrieved February 26, 2018 from https://www.nap.edu/read/5787/chapter/8
University of the State of New York, (2016). Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM). Retrieved February 26, 2018 from
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/aim/
Willings C., (n.d). Material Adaptations. https://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/material-adaptations.html