UTILIZATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND STUDENT’S PERFORMANCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS (EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
It is an unquestionable educational fact that involving learners actively in their learning experiences ensures that real experiences are retained longer than conceptual experiences. Instruction resources add elements of reality by providing actual examples to learning. Advances in technology have brought instruction projected and resources, especially the projected and electronic materials to the forefront as very radical tools of social development which have influenced classroom teaching and learning situation positively. Such technological breakthrough as networked, projected, visual electronic materials are important landmarks in knowledge transfer. Therefore, teaching and learning become very pleasant experiences.
Instructional resources possess some inherent advantages that make them unique in Social Studies teaching. Especially, they provide the teacher with interesting and compelling platforms for conveying information since they motivate learners to want to learn more and to retain better what they been taught, they also promotes and sustains students interest , However, by providing opportunities for private study and reference, the learners’ interest and curiosity are increasingly stimulated . This make the teacher achieve the objectives and makes learning cleaner and easier for students by stimulating them and making the environment very conductive. Furthermore, the teacher is assisted in overcoming physical difficulties that could have hindered his effective presentation of a given topic. They generally make teaching and teaching easier and less stressful.
They are equally indispensable catalysts of social and intellectual development of the learners.
The interactive nature of instructional resources makes the learner an active part of the learning process. This is due when the instructional materials are properly utilized to teaching, learning outcomes are enhanced. Instructional resources are essential and vital factors in any teaching –learning process. Verbalisation has been found to be inadequate for effective teaching. Hence instructional resources serve as a channel through which messages. Information, ideas and knowledge are disseminated easily. Instructional resources facilitating teaching/learning activities. They are anything or anybody the teacher turns to help in his learning process (Esu & Umoren 1998).
