Experience shows that resource persons tend to spend little time in identifying or selecting available training materials and that they have little knowledge A complex construction of information and individual experience with an interrelatedsocial and environmental dimension. (N.B. many different interpretations of knowledgeexist, and this is one preferred in this Toolkit) about doing this. Once a resource person has been assigned a particular topic in the context of a training event, (s)he should conduct a search for materials on it. Many international, regional and national library resources and institutions that can help to find out what exists in terms of training materials or publications in support of a specific topic.
At the international level, the library and documentation centre of the World Agroforestry Centre can be a good start to look for materials specifically on agroforestry and integrated natural resources management. The Centre also houses the Regional Land Management Unit (RELMA), which has produced a vast amount of materials related to agroforestry and land use that can serve to facilitate the development of training materials. Four other organizations are also important for services in information a source of data or sensory input, organized or arranged into a pattern which can be interpreted. and documentation. The Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux International (CABI) produces three important databases, CAB Abstracts, Agroforestry Abstracts and Tree CD. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is responsible for the world’s largest cooperative agricultural database, AGRIS. The International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) also contribute considerably to resources for agroforestry education. In addition, two governmental organizations provide vital resources of relevance to the production of teaching materials. These are the US Department of Agriculture whose database, AGRICOLA, is among the top three in world agriculture and the Dutch Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) that produces the famous TROPAG and RURAL databases. In the area of current awareness, the Institute of Scientific Information’s ‘Current Contents: Agriculture, Biology and Environmental Sciences’ is indispensable, as is the online journal ‘The Overstory’. Most of the resources of these organizations are available online and in other formats.
At the national or country level, Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry and Environment as well as universities and other training or education institutions, non-governmental organizations, development projects, etc. can also be consulted to find out if certain types of training materials exist. Two important sources for tracing these institutions are ‘Agricultural Information Resource Centers: a World Directory’, published by the International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD), and Europe’s ‘World of Learning’.
Any search will probably yield a number of useful materials and the next step will be to decide on which ones to select for a specific purpose. Resource persons often tend to use available materials as they are, and thus their content, rather than the specific aims, objectives and curriculum a guide for learning which integrates the philosophy and orientation of a trainingprogramme, expected learning outcomes, key content, methodology and evaluation for the teaching and learning process. of the intended training activity, will determine the instruction. Such available materials are mostly not field-tested for the specific training. When selecting materials, one must realize that most people learn by doing and from what they see. Real or contrived experiences are a great deal better than demonstrations, exhibits or various audio-visuals even though the use of these is preferable over teaching by means of speech or written text only. The advantage of the latter is that a lot more content can be covered in a theoretical session presented by a resource person using written materials in support of it, since available time is often a constraint when implementing a training event. The vast majority of people also learn most effectively using their sight compared with the other senses. Therefore, the use of audio-visuals as a training support cannot be overstated.
The following are some characteristics of ‘good’ training materials:
— Above all, such materials are developed for a precise purpose, reflecting your own and the learners’ requirements and conditions. Their purpose and objectives must be obvious.
— They target a specific audience in terms of levels of education and experience. For example, reading levels are very different for various age groups and education levels. Materials developed for novices in a certain area will be very different from those for knowledgeable and experienced people.
— Materials must include clear aims and objectives that reflect the ones of the training event as a whole, as well as specific subjects. See also topic 4 - Setting aims and objectives for a training course.
— Their content is technically correct and is logically and systematically developed and presented. Nothing is more disturbing to a learner than to spot mistakes in materials or to have them confuse rather than help in the understanding of a subject.
— Their use is facilitated through various ‘instructional components’ that help a resource person or a learner.
— Their presentation and format are attractive.
— They have been evaluated, using specific criteria, and have been field-tested in the context of a specific training event.
When selecting audio-visual training materials, in support of a specific topic, one must consider the following:
— What will be the audience in terms of size and level of education and experience?
— What are the infrastructure requirements to use certain types of materials?
— What equipment will be needed and is this available?
— How technical or difficult is it to operate the equipment or use the materials?
— What is the cost involved?
The table in annex 1 shows these requirements for various types of teaching materials.
When selecting or producing training materials, it is important to consider what ‘instructional components’ are presented that clarify their use.