In days of old, teachers educated their students using nothing more than a chalkboard and some chalk. Today's teachers often have many more tools in their arsenal. With the array of teaching materials available to educators, selecting the perfect ones for their pupils can prove challenging. To ensure that the proper materials are selected, it is wise to take an array of factors into consideration when choosing materials of this type.

Budget
The budget is often the first thing teachers and school districts consider when selecting teaching materials, as material costs can range from highly inexpensive to a major financial investment. Materials like workbooks, for example, can often be purchased for several dollars a student, while a high-tech teaching material piece, such as an electronic whiteboard, could set a district back several thousand dollars. By first considering budget, educators can ensure that they don't get their hearts set on a tool that is completely outside of their financial means.

Student Age
Teachers must also consider the ages of the pupils they will be educating when selecting teaching materials. If the materials are not at the appropriate level for the students they will teach, the students will either find the materials too easy or too challenging, leading them to stagnate or frustrate. While teachers can sometimes effectively use materials that are one level above or below the level they will teach, a discrepancy any greater than this could present a problem.

Learning Styles
Different materials reach students in different ways. When selecting materials, teachers often consider the ways in which their current students learn best. If they have classes full of visual learners, they may choose to invest more in visual teaching tools such as movies and posters. Similarly, if they have a class full of kinesthetic learners, they may select movement-based games to captivate these pupils.

Teacher Preference
In many school districts, teacher preference plays heavily into material selection. While some teachers must deal with the materials that the school already has in stock, others allow teachers to choose materials that they personally prefer. Because teacher preference often plays a part in material selection, educational material companies often offer free samples to teachers for review.