Social Studies Teaching Resources in The 21st Century
Social Studies Teaching Resources in The 21st Century
Social Studies Teaching Resources in The 21st Century
ABSTRACT: Social Studies teaching resources have improved overtime since its inception in
the 1950s to address the social problems in Nigeria. Classroom activities which was formally
centered on the use of blackboards and passed-on notebooks, have graduated to the use of
computer based systems such as power points and projectors, e-book reader, to online
schooling. This paper identified and discussed Social Studies Teaching Resources in the 21st
Century. The paper looked briefly at the concept of Social Studies as an integrated field of
study which focuses on man in his environments with view to sensitizing man with the symbiotic
relationships between him and his environment. Also went further to discuss deeply on
multimedia resources in the 21st century classroom known as iTunes-U which is the current
developmental resources for educators to share and gain teaching resources on a global scale.
To get access to primary resources and find inspiration for enhancing teaching and learning
with technology, that can link social studies teachers to the internet, through the iBook store
and App store that can enable social studies teachers to gather materials. This write up also
looked at the meaning of instructional materials, types of instructional resources that can be
used for the effective teaching Social Studies in the 21st Century.
KEYWORDS: Social Studies, Teaching Resources, 21st Century.
INTRODUCTION
Present day social studies teachers are encouraged and in fact required to use modern teaching
aids to teach social studies in order to make classroom more lively, understandable and
comprehensively to all learners. Social Studies has been conceptualized and taught in a variety
of ways.
When learners are made to see, hear, feel, smell and even taste, there is a higher degree of
getting them and appreciate subject matter taught. The more of the senses of the learners the
social studies teacher is able to stimulate and bring to bear on issues taught, the greater would
be the attainment of stated objectives in the learning domains. Materials and resources can
effectively be utilized to accomplish this purpose. Too often social studies lessons have been
described as boring, uninteresting and unchallenging. This negative and uninspiring state can
be turned around through the identification, collection, preparation and utilization
of instructional materials and resources (Ololobou, 2010).
Therefore it is important for modern day Social Studies teachers to teach Social Studies with
careful selection and use of instructional materials that can be suitably employed by the teacher
at all levels to promote effective teaching and learning. Resources which enhances effective
learning should include the resources that are able to make permanent impressions on the minds
of the learners.
9
Print ISSN: ISSN 2059-1209, Online ISSN: ISSN 2059-1217
International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Research
Vol.3, No.4, pp.8-14, August 2017
___Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)
The reason is that, the uses of such materials task the various sense organs of the learners,
encouraging their active participation in the instructional process. When learner are opportune
to contribute in the instructional process through their various senses, understanding is
promoted and the teacher is delivered from making lengthy explanations that further confuse
the learners. Also, the more of the senses contributed in a lesson by instructional materials the
more reality is stimulated. It is in line with this thought that Ema and Ajayi (2004) stated that
instructional materials are all the tools, which can be used by the teacher to provide help and
encouragement to learners learning activities. Such materials bring together man and resources
in a systematic co-operation to effectively solve educational problems.
Internet
With the recent development of our country and the world at large, the internet is one of the
best, fastest and up-to-date source of conveying information be it in a real life picture form or
in text (written) form. Social studies teachers can make use of the internet to search for the
most recent information from all over the world and even make students search for information
10
Print ISSN: ISSN 2059-1209, Online ISSN: ISSN 2059-1217
International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Research
Vol.3, No.4, pp.8-14, August 2017
___Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)
themselves from the internet when available at their schools. This will help enrich the teacher’s
knowledge as well as the students’ knowledge of the most recent changes and activities of not only
their environments and country but also the world at large.
iTunesU,
It is the ideal of resources for educators who want to gain insight into curriculum being
worldwide, get access to primary resources and find inspiration for enhancing teaching
and learning with technology. iTunesU is one of the resources that over 800 universities
are having access to iTunesU sites and nearly half of these institutions including
Stanford, Yale, MIT, Oxford and UC Berkeley distribute their content publicly on the
iTunesU store. In addition, cultural and education institutions, such as the Library of
congress public broadcasting organization and state departments of education, it also
contribute to this growing education content responding.
Audio-visual materials
Radios, television are very important instructional resources in social studies teaching
and learning, because of the impact of value and impression they have on people
(Alaezi, 2009).
Textbooks
Textbooks are reading materials that are basic material for the social-studies class. The
textbook is in such a way that it organizes the subject matter in a meaningful and logical way.
It provides the starting point of learning. It develops the skill of identifying needed information
on a variety of issues, persons and processes. It also stimulates thinking and interest of pupils.
(Ololobou, 2010).
Graphics or two-dimensional materials:
Charts are used graphically to illustrate various steps in the introduction process. Chart such as
flip charts, strip charts, time and sequence charts etc. and graphs such as pictorial graphs,
simple bar graphs, maps, atlases, cartoons, comics, posters billboards are all two dimensional
materials in which they represent information in order to give out a vivid visual impression of
the information been conveyed to the learner and to simplify complex ideas and concepts.
(Mezieobi, 2008). These materials are ideal for school students considering their age,
development abilities and capabilities.
Improvised Materials
The National Teachers Institute (2006), defined improvisation as the making of substitute from
local materials when the real or original equipment is not available. In other words,
improvisation is the act of designing and producing instructional materials from locally
available resources by the teacher and utilizing such materials to facilitate effective instruction
in the classroom. Improvised materials might include motivation models of an airplane, wall
clock, or bird using cardboard sheets, sticks, carton etc. Other methods of improvisation could
be paper pulp making, clay molding, dry or wet mounting and many others. Improvised
teaching materials facilitate teaching and learning activities in social studies class. It helps to
11
Print ISSN: ISSN 2059-1209, Online ISSN: ISSN 2059-1217
International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Research
Vol.3, No.4, pp.8-14, August 2017
___Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)
make the lesson real to the students; it creates opportunity for the students to participate in the
provision of teaching materials and help develop their skills of creativity and manipulation.
(Ololobou, 2010).
Maps and charts
Charts are visual aids that can be seen but not heard. Maps are made to represent and present
different data according to the needs of prospective users. There are several types of maps that
can be commonly used in schools. They are
World map, which is designed to provide opportunity for a number of students to study
geographical locations and data.
Atlas outline maps that a teacher can reproduce by duplicating it or tracing it.
Library
Library is a good source of getting information of every kind. A library is normally a building
or a room containing a collection of books and periodicals for use by the public or the members
of an institution. (Concise Oxford English Dictionary) A social studies teacher can make the
best out of the library by perhaps organizing study trips to the library to mobilize learners to
assist in the collection of some materials and participate in making the materials that can be
kept at the library for use.
Community resources
Community resources are those persons, places and institutions which desirable enrich social
studies teaching and learning, deepen the social studies content and widen the horizon of
learners.(Mezieobi,2008) The community has both human and non-human resources. The
human resources are persons with vast knowledge and skills, which can be utilized to enrich
the classroom learning experiences. Professionals and non-professionals like Doctors, lawyers,
professors, Chiefs or Oba’s non-human resources include places such as government agencies,
physical features, transportation facilities, and historical sites etc.
12
Print ISSN: ISSN 2059-1209, Online ISSN: ISSN 2059-1217
International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Research
Vol.3, No.4, pp.8-14, August 2017
___Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)
Print Materials:-
These are also referred to as reading materials. Individuals go through them to gather
information about people, places, processes and events. In the class, they can be used to
provoke general class discussions or raise issues for in depth class analysis. The class textbook
is a basic material for the social studies class. However, the nature of social studies require
broad and current knowledge. Therefore, the teacher need to expose the learners to other print
materials such as encyclopedia, new magazines, pamphlets, poems, supplementary readers. In
using them, teacher should not turn the class into a reading session even though developing
reading skills is important. These materials should be used to:
i. Provide organized subject matter for learners to study.
ii. Develop the skill of identifying needed information on a variety of issues person
and processes.
iii. Solve identified group problems to suggest rational solutions.
iv. Stimulate thinking and interest
Way forward
The following recommendations are very important for all social studies teachers to effectively
transmit social studies in the 21st century:
1. The use of most of these resources especially the electrically operated materials requires
skills to operate and maintain the equipment. Mass training of social studies teachers in
this area will be quite beneficial.
2. There is the need for governments at all levels to set-aside certain percentage of their
annual spending on education for the procurement and maintenance of instructional
materials.
3. School authorities should encourage social studies teachers with adequate financial and
moral support to improvise instructional materials using available local resources.
4. Adequate time should be allocated to social studies teachers to enable them effectively
utilize arrays of community resources available to promote effective teaching and
learning in the 21st century.
CONCLUSION
Social studies teachers should take into cognizance the modern teaching aids to facilitate learning in order to
achieve the goal of 21st century and lessons objectives, the age, maturity, ability of the learners,
relevance of the material among other considerations so as not to be carried away by the beauty
and physical appearances of the materials.
Also create awareness of current matters of national and international importance. However
for these purposes to be achieved the social studies teacher must ensure that the content of such
materials is authentic and accurate, suitable to the learners and cultural environment, free form
distortions and bias. Furthermore, materials should be checked for good illustrations, clear
13
Print ISSN: ISSN 2059-1209, Online ISSN: ISSN 2059-1217
International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Research
Vol.3, No.4, pp.8-14, August 2017
___Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)
prints and durability. More importantly, social studies teachers should combine the use of
reading materials with other categories of materials to practically illustrate and demonstrate
processes of social studies teaching resources in the 21st century.
REFERENCES
Alazi, U O. (2009). Introduction to the Teaching of Social Studies: Onitcha Lincel Publishers.
Ema, E & Ajayi, O. (2004). The importance of instructional materials to the successful
implementation of social studies curriculum at junior secondary school level.
Esu, A. E. O., Enukoha O. I. & Umoren, G. U. (1998). Curriculum development in Nigeria for
colleges and universities Calabar; But-Bass (Nig.) Ltd.
Inyang-Abai, . E. (2004). Curriculum technologies for basic education: methods, media and
their utilization. Calabar MIFAM Services Nigeria Ltd.
Jacob, S. (1999) Social Studies Instructional Materials in Ololobou, Y. P. S.
Mezieobi, K. A. & Mezieobi, K. S. (2013). Community resources: The least thought about and
utilized in Social Studies pedagogy in Nigeria. Rivers Journal of Social Studies. 8(6), 1-
14.
Mezieobi, K. A. Fubara, V. R. & Mezieobi, S. A. (2008). Social Studies in Nigeria: Teaching
Methods Instructional Materials and resources. Owarri: Acadapeak Publishers.
Mezieobi, K. A., Fubara, V. R. & Mezieobi, S. A. (2013). Social studies in Nigeria. Teaching
methods. Instructional materials and resources Owerri: Academic publishers.
NTI (2006) NCE/DLS Course Book on Social Studies. Cycle 3. Kaduna: national teachers
Institute.
Ofoegu, T.O (2009) Teaching and Learning Resources. Curriculum Theory and Practice.
Curriculum Organization of Nigeria. Ibadan Press.
Olaitan, S. O. & Agusiobo, O.N (2008) Principles of Practice Teaching. Ibadan Spectrum
Books Ltd.
Olalobou E. P. (2010). Instructional materials, production in a challenging educational system.
A paper presented at an Annual National Conference Organized by the Curriculum
Development Materials Centre (CUDMAC) University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Ololobou, (2010). Educational Technology and Micro-teaching for Teaching Effectiveness.
Emba printing and Publishing Company Ltd.
14
Print ISSN: ISSN 2059-1209, Online ISSN: ISSN 2059-1217