ABSTRACT
This research work is designed to investigate “The influence of visual aids on effective teaching and learning of social studies”. It is carried out to proffer solutions to the problems emanated from the research work. The research was carried out in five different schools with the target population of 100 students and 20 teachers. 20 students are to be investigated (Appendix I) while questionnaire of ten items (Appendix II) were used to investigate the teachers. The findings revealed that, the influence of visual aids on effective teaching and learning of social studies can not be over-emphasized respondents. it is clear that availability of different types of visual aids in schools and its effective use to the maximum will surely go a long way in solving the learners problems of understanding not only in learning of social studies but in other subject areas in general.
However, since social studies objective is to help the learners to cultivate desirable values, intellectual virtues, attitudes and social norms, we implore the government and all other concerned departments to come to the aid of schools in providing visuals aids to them so as to make sure the objective comes to reality.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
It is well known among educators that educational experiences involving the learners 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 both in teaching social studies and other related subjects in order to enhance teaching for desired social and behavioural changes. These authors include World Bank (1999) Greenwood (2001) Bozimo (2002) and Adekeye (2008) more specifically, it was emphasized in the works of these authors that the use of instructional materials are 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-enginuering and change. It is obvious that social studies teaching and learning can not 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 of the forefront as the most radical tools of globalization and social development which has affected the classroom teaching learning situation positively. Such 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 reference, the learner’s interest and curiosity are increasingly stimulated. Further, the teacher is assisted in overcoming 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 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 are integral components of teaching-learning situations; it is not just to supplement learning but to complement its process. it is then shows that, if there must be an effective teaching learning activity, utilization of instructional materials will be necessary . Ema & Ajayi (2004) assert that, “teaching equipment and materials have changed over the years, not only to facilitate teaching learning situation but also to address the instructional needs of individuals and groups” instructional materials are made up of objects such as printed, 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 o his teaching activities. However, instructional materials cannot address all the teaching-learning problems but it can 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 material utilized by a teacher during social studies instructional process for the purpose of making the contents of the instructions more practical and less vague. Ema & Ajayi (2006) opined that, without the teacher who is knowledgeable, instructional materials cannot create change and progress the only time it begins to make impact is when the teacher begins to make use of it and allows it to take over its values”. The above authorities, the knowledge of the teacher, cannot be overemphasized in the use and handling on any instructional gadgets for effective learning.
