CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The study of Geography is divided intolocation, place, human/environment interaction, movement, and region which offer a mode of reasoning about the world. These themes can assist in studying every geographic issue locally, nationally and globally (Boehm, 2000). The National Council for Geographic Education and the Association of American Geographers made significant strides in improving the formulation of the geography curriculum which aid in the selection of objectives and organization of geographic information for elementary learners(Haas, 1989)..

In November 1988, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) surveyed forty-one states and territories concerning geographic education in the United States of America (Haas, 1989). All states agreed that Geography instruction is needed in primary schools. The study recommended that CCSSO should engage in formulating new Geography curricula. The study further suggested that bringing together geographers, geographic resources and educators in workshops at different levels was the way to improving geographic instruction (Haas, 1989).

According to Butt (2011), teaching and learning resources support teachers in making decisions on what and how to teach. Most educators are not geographers’ and require help in determining the important principles and concepts as well as necessary geography practices to teach use during instruction. Therefore, teaching and learning resources must aim for big ideas to assist learners in understanding geography and continue developing key knowledge across learning experiences (Heffron & Downs, 2012). Within several classes in England’s primary schools,

teaching and learning materials such as atlases, maps were found not to be in use with such materials occasionally introduced. While appropriate teaching was being caried out in some classes, in the most classes essential skills were rarely accorded enough focus (Edelson, 2013). Therefore, Geography education cannot be effective if learners are not taught the important skills of the subject.

Furthermore, instructional resources must highlight geographers thinking process with regards to problems, giving learners models for “thinking geographically” and creating chances for students to exercise this form of thinking. These resources should convey a sense of purpose for learning big ideas and practices. They should at the same time involve strategic sequencing of learning experiences within levels different grades of education (Edelson, 2013). Also, the resources must contain geographically accurate information that honors different perspectives (Edelson, 2013). Graphics is the most distinctively geographical form of communication and maps constitute the main documents through which the communication of spatial information takes place. Edelson (2013) further points out that children begin to show spatial awareness at an early age and primary school teachers are finding that this awareness can be fostered using simple maps before they learn to use specially prepared maps.

According to Klein (2005), geography syllabus and courses are oriented to stated geographical facts and the development of skills in observation, recording and the use of information collected for the solution of problems. Education quality in Africa is rapidly declining due to an  inadequate supply of key instrument material and the decline in their utilization. UNESCO advocates for the revitalization of policies intended to provide learning resources to safeguard and improve education quality in Africa. There is anemphasis on the importance of resource

utilization in Practical Geography since maps and diagrams give a pictorial view of spatial distribution and relationships. They are more precise than verbal accounts; and they are often less formidable than mathematical expressions or models (Klein, 2005).

Many scholars in the education sector have emphasized the need to use learning resources for the teaching of any subject including geography. This implies that learning resources make education successful if employed during teaching in order to attain the academic objectives (Komen, 1991). The most important finding of these studies has been the lack of adequate resources for teaching geography because teachers rely mostly on the use of textbooks. This has adirect impact on national performance as shown in Table 1.1 nationally and Table 1.2 for Kipkelion Sub-County.