A SURVEY OF THE AVAILABILITY AND USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR ART TEACHING

This study was a survey of the availability and usage of contemporary art teaching and learning materials in Colleges of Education in Kaduna and Plateau States. Teachers in Nigeria over the years have been using the conventional instructional materials but modern ones are better and more effective. Information and communication technology (ICT) has made communication easy and has improved media instructional materials which art teachers should be exposed to in Colleges of Education. Teachers are expected to be conversant with the use of these contemporary instructional material. The aim of the study was to assess the availability and usage of contemporary instructional materials in colleges of education in Kaduna and Plateau states with the following objectives. To assess the types of modern instructional materials in Colleges of Education in the above mentioned states. Determine the adequacy and use of such audio visual and electronic resources in the Colleges of Education and to assess the problems teachers and students face in the use of audio visual and electronic resources. The population for the study consisted of a total number of 174 art students and 45 art teachers making a total of 219 from the four colleges of education being covered in the study. The instrument used for data collection consisted of two sets of questionnaires, they are Art Teachers Inventory Questionnaire (ATIQ) and Art Students Inventory Questionnaire (ASIQ). The major findings of the study indicate; Inadequate modern instructional materials in Colleges of education in Kaduna and Plateau states, the adequacy and use of such instructional materials for teaching Fine and Applied Arts was far below average as the modern materials were not available, Teachers competence on the use of modern instructional materials was more than that of students who largely depended on the colleges to provide them. Teachers and students face some problems which include lack of availability of modern instructional materials. Based on the findings, there is need for all stake holders in the educational sector to provide adequate modern materials. Institution should organize professional workshops and seminars that will guide the teachers on the use of contemporary materials.

The emergence and production of instructional materials had undergone several reviews and processes by different professionals in various fields of learning. These experts have developed and produced such materials in line with the needs of their areas of specialization and the resources available in their locality. Experience over the years has shown that teachers have been depending on excessive use of words to express and to convey ideas or facts in the teaching-learning process. This practice is termed the “chalk-talk” method. In modern times, advances in technology have made it possible to produce materials and devices that could be used to minimize the teachers talking all the time, make the message clearer, more interesting and easier for the learners to assimilate. (Onasanya, 2008). According to Soetan (2010), graphics materials include charts, posters, sketches, cartoons, graphs and drawings. Graphics communicate facts and ideas clearly through combination of drawings, words and pictures. The use of graphics in teaching creates greater understanding of the materials being studied. They also help learners to visualize the whole concepts holistically showing the relationships with one another. The role of graphic materials in visual communication is therefore very unique and significant.

Olumorin (2009) in the simplest term defines instructional materials as those materials that help the teacher to teach with ease and the learners to learn without stress. The author explained that instructional materials appeal to the senses of seeing, touching, smelling, feeling and hearing. They include projected, non projected audio visual, printed and others. It also includes three dimensional objects that are produced through locally sourced materials, programme instruction, and instruction package. Natoli (2011) states that instructional materials are also referred to as Audio Visual (AV or A/V) which works with both sound and visual components. The production or use of such works or equipment to create and present works.