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CHAPTER ONE | |||||
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
It is well known among educators that,
the educational experiences involving the learner actively participating in -concrete
examples are retained longer than abstract experiences. Instructional materials
add elements of reality by providing concrete examples to learning. Many
authors have written on the use of instructional materials both in teaching
Social Studies and other related subjects in order to enhance teaching for
desired social and behavioural change. These authors include; Mcluhan (1964),
Alaka (1978), Kochar (1986), Okafor (1988), Mkpa (1989), UNDP (1998), Heeks
(1999), World Bank (1999), Aguokogbuo (2000), Koert (2000), Greenwood (2001),
Bozimo (2002), Nwanna-Nzewunwa (2003) and Adekeye (2008). More specially, it
was emphasized in the work of these authors that the use of instructional
materials is a sine qua non in affecting behaviour of learners of every field,
especially social studies. It was equally shown by some of the authors that
these materials are important catalysts of social re-engineering and change. It
is obvious that social studies teaching and learning cannot be well accomplished
without the use of instructional materials.
The
reason is not far fetched. Advances in technology have brought instructional
materials especially the projected and electronic materials to the forefront as
the most radical tools of globalization and social development which have
affected the classroom teaching learning situation positively. Such technology
or technological breakthroughs as networked and non networked projected and non
projected, visual, auditory, audio-visual electronic materials are important
landmarks in knowledge transfer. With them both teaching and learning become
very pleasant experiences.
Instructional materials possess some
inherent advantages that make them unique in social studies teaching. For one
thing, they provide the teacher with interesting and compelling platforms for
conveying information since they motivate learners to want to learn more and
more. Also, by providing opportunities for private study and references, the
learners’ interest and curiosity are increasingly stimulated. Further, the
teacher is assisted in over coming physical difficulties that could have
hindered his effective presentation of a given topic. They generally make
teaching and learning easier and less stressful. They are equally indispensable
catalysts of social and intellectual development of the learners.
Bolick (2003) pointed to a good
relationship between the teachings of the social studies and using of
instructional materials. He argued that while some educators have been
fascinated by the potential of instructional materials to enhance teaching and
learning teachers’ lagged behind in using instructional materials during
teaching and learning. Others expressed doubts that instructional materials
will ever incite teaching reform in social studies. Instructional materials are
integral components of teaching learning situation. It is not just to
supplement learning but to complement its process.
Instructional materials are made up of
objects such as printed materials, audio, visual that aid in the successful
delivery of social studies lesson (Chuba 2000: 101). To this end, instructional
materials are said to be objects or things the teacher can use in the classroom
while teaching in order to ease off his teaching activities. However, instructional
materials cannot address all the teaching learning problem but it can go a long
way in solving them, simply because they are additional apparatus that can
influence the reality of teaching and learning activities.
Joof (1995: 85) explained that, the
concept of teaching aids has gone through several evolutionary stage from the
simple aids, instructional technology, media to communication and educational
technology. This however, tells us that instructional materials are not just
objects or equipments used during teaching learning process but there those
objects improvised by the teacher to make conceptual abstraction more concrete
and practical to the learners. Instructional materials are the relevant
materials utilized by a teacher during social studies instructional process for
the purpose of making the contents of the instructions more practical and less
vague. Instructional materials are indispensable factors of in any teaching
learning process. Ordinary words or verbalization has been found to be inadequate
for effective teaching. Instructional materials serve as a channel through
which message, information, ideas and knowledge are disseminated more easily.
They can therefore be manipulated, seen, heard, feet or talked about. They
facilitate activities. They are anything or anybody the teacher turns to for
help in his learning process (ESU & Umoren 1998).
Instructional materials group the
learners’ intellect and eliminated boredom. Some of the unique qualities of instructional
materials is speedy learning and accuracy. They make the work easier, more
appeal, accurate, neater and boosting for clarity of social studies concept. If
social studies is to be learned effectively, it must be experienced. Social
studies is so close to the life of every child that no teacher needs ever be
without instructional materials for teaching of social studies. One of the
biggest draw backs in the use of instructional materials is inadequate supply
of instructional materials.
Teaching of social studies in respect to
its scope and nature, which is multidimensional, integrative and dynamic,
cannot effectively take effects without the use of instructional materials, the
teaching of social studies contents must focus not only on making teachers
competent at using instructional materials, but at the same time, promote
strategies that enables the integration of instructional materials that
enhances teaching and learning of social studies goals and objectives.
Instructional materials as an act of
giving help normally by teachers to provide help and encouragement in students
or pupils learning activities. They further described instructional materials
as a tool, which can easily be used by a teacher to correct wrong impressions
and to illustrate things that learners cannot forget. The major aim of using
instructional materials in social studies instructional is to achieve excellent
result.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The use of instructional materials in
social studies instructions has been widely researched but many questions are still
remains unanswered. The need for exploring locally available materials in our
schools, resourcefulness of the teacher must be in line with the learners’
curriculum and environment so that classroom teaching does have to be retarded
by lack of funds. The problems are that; instructional materials not available
in our schools, teachers are not improvising and reluctant in using them.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to determine
the use of instructional materials in social studies teaching. The specific
objectives of the study are:
1. To identify the place of instructional materials in
social studies instruction.
2. To find out how adequate the instructional
materials available, types and selected suit the teaching of social studies
content.
3. To identify the problems associated with the use of
instructional materials.
4. To determine the teachers’ knowledge, competency,
in the selection of instructional materials and reasons why they do not utilize
the instructional materials.
5. To find out how often social studies teachers
utilize instructional materials in the course of social studies instruction.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following questions were asked and
answered in the study;
1. How frequently do social studies teachers utilize
instructional materials during social studies lesson?
2. What are the problems associated with the use of
instructional materials in social studies instruction?
3. What are the reasons why the teachers do not use
instructional materials?
4. What are the benefits of instructional materials to
the students?
5. What are the suggested solutions to the problems?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
It is obvious that, instructional
materials cut across all the spheres of teaching. The findings of the study
have some implications for all the processes of acquiring knowledge as it will
give insight into the importance and procedures for selecting and use of
instructional materials in the teaching learning process of any subject at all.
The integrity of teaching and learning
would be rekindled as meaningful learning will be achieved as prospective
teachers both in the field of social studies and any other discipline would
also have a strong background as how to manipulate and integrate instructional
materials with teaching. This will help in showing the effectiveness and the
usefulness of instructional materials for teaching social studies to the
teachers and all other classroom teaching
and learning activities. It would help the educational supervisors on the
basic instructional equipments to be provided for social studies teaching
whenever inspection is carried out.
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Friday 25 October 2013
PLACE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL IN THE TEACHING OF SOCIAL STUDIES
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