The majority of this collection consists of material representing teaching aids and materials collected by Dr. A Rufus Tonelson during his four decades of teaching at Old Dominion University. While some of the material reflects his initial teaching experience at the Norfolk Division of William and Mary, most of the papers in this collection are from the later phases of his teaching experience in the School of Education.

This series consists mainly of course material related to elementary and high school guidance counselors; counseling techniques and methods; educational administration and supervision; school curriculum; as well as personality and career assessments for high school students. Also included are syllabi, exams, and answer keys for Tonelson's Education classes, and 1972 correspondence with Manpower Training Skills Center.

This series includes tests from biology and education classes, as well as lectures related to elementary and high school guidance counseling.

This series includes publications collected by Tonelson related to education. A publication about the transformation of Wards Corner is also included.