Relevance of Television Instruction to a Classroom Situation
BY
Olaide Alabi (Ph.D.) and Obilor Raphael
The world is now a global village as a result of technological development in the field of information and communication technology, It has become possible to know and watch what is happening in any part of the world, through the broadcast media (Television). Technological changes have effects on society whether rural or urban. It affects all aspects of life, be it political, economic, cultural or educational matters. This has generated a greater yearning for learning and information and has resulted in a population explosion in schools, The demand for education and knowledge is growing at a geometrical progression, and this requires better ways of making learning interesting. Traditional methods of teaching are becoming obsolete. Teachers are looking for how to improve their teaching methods to meet with modern technologies of teaching and learning and learners are yearning for innovations in the teaching and learning system. There is a need to evolve systems that will keep up with the "new" pace in this generation by providing and exploring the means that can arrest the interest of all learners in terms of information and knowledge, hence, the call for broadcasting outfits in instruction. Television is an aspect of broadcasting that can aid instruction. Television is a process of transmitting on a screen "events" etc. in pictures and sounds using radio signals. A television is a box-like device with a screen which receives electric signals and changes them to moving images. There is hardly any school organization that does not need the use of television as part of instructional materials. The effectiveness of television in instruction can not be over-questioned. The need to enhance teaching and learning with this medium has many advantages especially when correctly and appropriately used. Television utilization includes the adaptation of innovative strategies for improving instruction: It exposes students to real-life situations, especially documentary programmes on the wild-. Television is capable of bringing instant responses to situations. Televisions are highly useful for instruction in large gatherings. However, this paper is concerned more with television than "television set" Television induces the viewer to react to stimuli (Ajayi-Depemu, 1990).
"Among the usefulness of television
is the ability to satisfy the curiosity of the learners. It is what emphasises that
the present trend in instructional delivery is to place the learner in a central
position granting him control over his learning environment" (AKINPELU
2004)
Among the most important occurrences today are knowledge
explosion resulting in the yearning to keep abreast with up-to-date information
as a result of technology. The fact that Schools are now faced with a population
explosion the available facilities have been stretched beyond elastic limits, and Schools can no longer cope with the no number of those seeking admission. The
classroom teacher cannot cope with the learning challenges.
Access to instructional broadcasts by schools through
electronic media such as Television is highly required. Broadcasting outfits (Television) owned by private bodies and the government are
concerned with the commercial benefits of their stations for survival.
Therefore, little attention is given to television instruction. Though
television stations might find it very expensive to devote the greater part of
their time to developing educational programs if the institutions that handle
the curriculum of Education in Nigeria are allowed to operate
educational broadcasting we shall not be far from the shore of technological
development that will catapult Nigeria into the group of developed Nations.
Television instruction is not a new thing. According to Nwaboku (2006), "The old technologies of radio and television have been used all over the
world to address instructional problems. The advanced Nations have already gone
beyond the use of television for classrooms in instruction, at this computer
age, it is unfortunate that Nigerian classrooms can not boast of any classroom
with television as a mode of instruction. Teachings and learning should no
longer be restricted to the classrooms but should bring the classroom to the
people, just as Television has brought the outside world to the classroom.
OPERATING BROADCASTING OUTFITS IN
SCHOOLS
As mentioned earlier, it is timely to start the operation of
broadcasting outfits in Schools, the operation of broadcasting outfits in
Nigeria will open doors for different stages of development. It will serve as
support for pedagogy. Television can teach and the teacher's job is to
ensure that what has been taught has been learned. However, it is not a means
for direct teaching but to support and extend the activities already begun by
the teacher. The role of the teacher is to keep abreast of television programmes that have the potential to educate. Since television is an aspect of
Educational Technology, it is pertinent to explore the use of appropriate
professionalism in the field of education. In his submission, Egbowon (2004)
stated that there is adequate publicity for known and lasting success in the
use of Educational Technology in solving educational problems.
Teaching with television entails beginning with the basic
principles of teaching for all audio-visual media, and include the following:
1. A concern for purpose
2. Ability to select appropriate materials.
3. Opportunity to practising the appropriate methods
4. The ingenuity of evaluation results.
The principle of teaching with television must capitalize on its unique qualities of concreteness, immediacy, variety, heightened expectancy, simultaneity, succinctness veracity, and reinforcement of exciting ideas and information. In primary and secondary schools children constitute the centre of attention; educational programmes of children on television should be distinguished from other programmes. All children's programmes must be suitable for class viewing, they must be pertinent to all the children, especially if connected with topics in the curriculum. Included in this category are children's television programmes specifically designed to instruct as well as entertain for example, a teleclass is an educational programme fashioned out from the curriculum of NERDC which commenced on AIT in July 1997. The subjects treated presently in teleclass are physics, chemistry, biology and geography. Mathematics, English and French. There are also programmes intended primarily for adults but watched by countless children. With all these communication sources, learners of today have absorbed more information and vicariously experienced many more phenomena than people of previous generations. Television which is an audio-visual media is a communication that enables and permits a relationship between teachers and students. channel of more productive
EFFECTIVENESS AND ADVANTAGES OF TELEVISION IN INSTRUCTION
The most common use of television is for illustrating the content of instructions and also acquiring information thereby making learning more concrete and less abstract, television to A student or learner should proceed from direct experiences, through pictures, films, diagrams and reading. The use of television in teaching reduces boredom and stimulates the interest of learners at all times. Television instruction can be used to develop a high level of students' reasoning and inquisitiveness. It can help them to discover the principles behind their lessons. Television can be used to provide additional learning activities e.g. dissecting real animal's drawing specimens correctly and directly. Television provides experiences that are otherwise out of reach to learners and thus saves time in teaching. It enhances the acquisition and retention of factual information. Television programmes reduced to home video can make the learner learn at his/her own pace.
CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF TELEVISION
The availability and cost depend on the financial level and status of the school. A private school has a much high opportunity to purchase a television set than a public or government-owned school. Most government public schools do not even have enough classrooms for
learning not to mention Television in classrooms. Those who are opportune to
have Television always encounter the problem of electricity. Government slows
less interest in this problem and therefore the introduction of Television
would become very difficult to handle. Poverty among Nigerians is a great
contributing factor. An average middle-income earner cannot afford basic
technological and communication gadgets. Therefore, related communication
facilities might not be visible, and might appear strange in schools.
Television will be seen as an unnecessary luxury in the school environment.
CONCLUSION
At this juncture, it is implicit
that broadcasting technologies are yet to be fully integrated into the
curriculum implementation process in Nigerian schools. In addition, effective
implementation of television instruction in Nigeria's educational system will
bring about a lot of changes in values. People orientation will be positively
affected, and it will also assist decision-makers to embark on programmes of
advancement like reviewing teachers' education to emphasize sound
knowledge and skills related to instructional technology.
Teacher education institutions in
the country will be well-equipped with modern instructional facilities to
facilitate a high level of productivity. The industrial and educational sectors will
be greatly influenced. A lot of national problems will be addressed.
Television in the classroom will improve
teaching and learning.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Given the above the
following recommendations are made
1.
Inspectors, teachers, college lecturers, head
teachers, curriculum planners etc. should develop a positive attitude towards
educational television by incorporating it into the curriculum and making
effective use of it.
2.
Schools should make provision for teachers'
training on educational television
3.
Teachers should be allowed to make
effective use of the skill by providing the necessary materials and also by
creating the necessary environment.
4.
Government, corporate bodies and non-government
organizations should provide assistance to schools either by the provision of
funds or television, video and other materials.
5.
Constantly power supply must be ensured by
making available a good stand-by generating set in schools like the one Lagos
State Government has just embarked on, in some local government areas in the
state.
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