Need for Appropriate Teaching Methods in Primary Schools in Nigeria. A Case Study of a Primary School in Owerri West Local Government Area Imo State
CHAPTER ONE
Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the teaching skill needs of teachers for inclusive classroom in Imo state primary schools.
Specifically, the study:-
- Determine the teaching assessment skill needs of teachers and special educators for inclusive
- Determine the teaching communication skill needs of teachers and special educators for inclusive
- Ascertain the teaching management skill needs of teachers and special educators for inclusive
- The motivational teaching skill needs of teachers for inclusive classroom.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Concept of Teachers
Teachers are those who take care of the educational needs of children in general classrooms, and provide teaching to the children in the schools (Okeke, 2006). Okeke describes a teacher as that person who is professionally trained to teach and give teaching to children in schools. A teacher is that person who provides experiences and guidance, designed to promote learning on the part of those engaging in the activities in a general classroom (Onwuka, 1999). Alpren (2001) views a teacher as a professionally trained individual whose duties is to implement the curriculum in education. In the context of this study therefore, a teacher is a trained person who provides, directs, guides the activities and materials in order to promote learning in a general classroom. The process of teaching by implication involves a teacher to apply strategies and teaching skills in presenting materials to the learners. Teaching skills are therefore necessary for effective learning for both teachers regular and special educator.
Concept of Teaching skills
Teachings are process of passing information in the classroom. Saylor and Alexander (2001) define teaching as the implementation of the curriculum plan usually, but not necessarily, involving teaching in the sense of student teacher interaction in a school setting.
Bennett and McNomara (2009) see teaching as a process of interaction. Similarly, Tanner and Tanner (2005) look at the process of teaching as “the pupil-teacher interaction situation”. The conceptions held by both authors imply that in the process of teaching, the teacher does something to the learner in return and as a result of this reciprocal action the students learn.
Teaching skills is the knowledge a teacher acquires to effectively interact with the learner (Okeke, 2006). Teaching skills according to Saskatchewan (1998) are the most specific category of teaching behaviours. They are necessary for procedural purposes and for structuring appropriate learning experiences for students. Teaching skills are knowledge and ability which teachers acquire to make their teaching skillful (Shostak, 2006). Teaching skills in this present study therefore is the knowledge and the ability of teachers to instruct, through order, command or direction, requiring the learner to perform certain tasks.
A variety of teaching skills according to Shostok (2006) include: assessment teaching skills, communication teaching skills, management skills, motivational skills and evaluation skills. Assessments are frequently used to sum up a person’s achievement (Knight, 2001). Assessment provides ‘feedout’, in the shape of a warrant to achievement or competence (such as a degree certificate), and in the form of information that can be used as performance indicators in appraising the work of teachers, departments, college and national systems of education (Knight, 2001). Assessments are also used to identify what learners need to do in order to improve their work (Lejk & Willy, 2001).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHOD
Design of the Study
This study is a descriptive survey design to investigate the teaching skill needs of teachers for inclusive classroom in Imo state primary schools. According to Ali (2006) descriptive survey is concerned with describing events as they are, without any manipulation of what caused the event or what is being observed. In surveys, views, facts, among others are collected, analysed and used for answering research questions. The survey design is considered most suitable for the study because it permits the collection of original data from the respondents themselves, describes the present conditions as they exist in their natural school settings, and allows only a representative of the population to be sampled.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
This chapter presents results of data analysis based on four research questions and three hypotheses that guided the study. The results were presented in four tables for the research questions and tables 5, 6 and 7 for the null hypotheses. The major findings of the study are also presented in this chapter.
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS, CONCLUSION,
RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUMMARY
This chapter discusses the findings of the study as they relate to research questions, hypotheses, the educational implications, recommendations of the study, limitations of the study, suggestions for further study, summary and conclusion of the study.
Discussion of Findings
The discussion of findings were done under the following headings;
- Assessment teaching skill needs of teachers for inclusive
- Communication teaching skill needs of teachers for inclusive classroom.
- Management teaching skill needs of teachers for inclusive
- Motivational teaching skill needs of teachers for inclusive
- Gender was not a factor in the teaching skills needs for inclusive classroom.
- Location was also not a factor in the teaching skill needs for inclusive classroom.
- Special edcuators was not a factor in the teaching skill needs for inclusive classroom.
Conclusion
The study has indeed revealed the needs of teaching skills as perceived by teachers in Imo state primary schools and special educators in Imo State for inclusive classroom. These are rooted in the assessment, communication, management and motivational skills teachers utilize to improve teaching in inclusive classroom. The consequences of not using these teaching skills are too grave for any teacher to ignore. Gender and location are not significance factors in the teaching skill needs for inclusive classroom. Special educator is not a significant factor in the teaching skill needs for inclusive classroom. Therefore, there is need for teachers to acquire these teaching skills for effective teaching in inclusive classroom.
Recommendations of the Study
- Seminars and conferences should be organized by teacher educators for teachers from time to time to keep them abreast of different teaching skills which they would use in teaching their
- Teacher educators should work hard to ensure that teachers are prepared in various ways of assessing learning especially inclusive
- Teacher educators on their own should strive to build energy with other teachers with the view of getting themselves acquainted with necessary skills for teaching pupils especially in inclusive
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