University of Nigeria Virtual Library

Serial No.

Author 1

UGWUJA J. O.

Author 2

ABIOGU, G. C.

Author 3

Title

Re- Tooling Education for the Information Age:

Implications for Nigeria Teacher Education

Keywords

Description

Education in the Information Age: Global Challenges and Enhancement Strategies

Category

Education

Publisher

Proceeding oif First International Conference of the Faculty if Education, University of Nigeria

NSuikka

Publication Date

Signature

. - 2 3

, RE-TOOLING EDUCATION FOR THE INFORlMATJON AGE: IILIPLICATIONS F O ~ NIGEIUA TEACHER EDUCATION - .

*G.C:. Abiogu & **J.O. Ugwuja 4.

" epartmcnt of Educational Foundations l*Departmcnt of Science Education

Introd~rction Thc term "tool" is derivcd fron fekl~nc, meaning an instrument uscd by I workmen. It could also mcan that which aus as we msaument of anothcr. In .this aspect, a tool or an

instrutit'ent becomcs a means to achieving an end. Random House Webster's College Dictionary (1991: ' I 1405). co~lsidcrs thc word "to01" as "that, which stands for any instn~mcnt uscd in doing work, cspccially

on; hcltl i n tlic hand as a hammer, saw or file for performing or facilitating mechanical opcration". On tlic I otllcr hand, a "tool" is a means of accomplishing a task or a purpose. For instance: Education is a tool for

I succc:;~. To rc-tool Nigcria tcacher education for the information age, implics using the information and

I cc~nim~.lnicatio~i to rocontlitiob or evcn to recharge the Nigeria teacher education practicc, cspccially now -

tlic world has becomc a global v ihgc. I

On thc part of Mailcr (2005) the whole range of technologics which are involved in information processing, and electronic communication are referred to as information and communication technology (ICT). It includes the radio, television, videos, computers, sensors, interface boxes, e-mail, satellite

I connection, intcrnct and the :;oft wares and materials which are employed by teachcrs in thcir tcaching and lcarning practice.

.., Lamentably, Aycni (7006) submits ,that, Nigeria, a country that is approaching iiliy years of cxistencc as an indcpcndcnt &ion, is still in the process of clamouring for transfer of technology, socio- ,

politic:~l stability, cconomic survival and capacity building and sustainable development in education. The ccntsai and slralcgic position and role which ICT occupies and plays in developrncnt stratcgics of various economies, as Enemuo and Onwuka (2006) concur in their research report, has made it the cardinal tool o S govcrnmcnts and organizations. It is now almost imperative for policy-~nakers to focus on c-hcalth, c- commerce, c-finance, e-government, and e-education as catalysts for all development agenda. It is the

I

contcntion of this paper that ICT ought to leave its imprint more on teacher education, since teacher cducation is thc bedrock of any nation's education and national development.

Undoublcdly, IC'T is a rcvolution that involves thc use of computers, intcrnct and othcr Iclccommunication tcchnologics in cvcry aspect of human endeavour. It is also sclf cvidcnt truth that thc ~0111piit~r :IIICI intcrnct havc :i more dircct relationship to fundanlcntal changcs in human communication and cognition, and the ovcrall organization of the learning and teaching practice of the socicty. Bascd on tlic abovc, thc interest point of this paper lies on the inevitability of re-tooling Nigeria teachcr cducation

- with information and communication technology in order to achieve the ideology of Nigeria tchchcr cducation.

Thc Ideology of Nigeria Edwation 'Icacher education is the process of training that deals with the art of acqu~ring professional

competcnces and growth. Osunde & Omoruyi (2004) were of the view that in Nigcr~a, the necd for well qualilied tcachers has gained pre-eminence because it is considered that, teacher education programme is a means of providing teachcrs with the neccssary skill and knowledge needed to adcquatcly carry out thelr t e a c h g jobs, as well as for professional growth. Teacher education is designcd to produce hlghly rnotivatcd. conscientious and succcssful classroom teachers, who will handle studcnts cffcctivcly and

2 4 professionally lbr better educational achicvemcnt. This milst have bccn lllc kcr-oscnc which s u p p l i d energy to Anya's (2001) lamp of' 31-g~rrncnt that, tcachcr cd~~cat ion is thc intcllcctunl laboratory 0 1 ' :my nation and the engine that pi-upcls its economy. Inadequate teacher. preparaiion programmes as Arncdckcr (2005) affirms in his study, rc:;uIts in m:~.iority of teachers' inability to dcmonslratc adcquatc knowledge and understanding of the structure, hnction and the development of their disciplines. On cogent prcmisrs however an effcctivc teachcr cducation programme is a coirdi~io. sitre p ~ i troir (~icccssary condition or prerequisite) for a scIiant education7 which leads to a good level i f confidence in both texhcrs and their students. Going by the implication of the above assertion, I,aw$l (2003) affil-111s that i t is only-whcn learning is co-odinatccl cffcctivcly ant1 professionally that the inhkrent prtrblcrns in the tcachcr education could be rcctificd and solved.

The entire systcnl oS education in Nigeria as Iwuchukwu (2006) allegos, dcpcnds on the tcachcr for cffectivcncss. Such a claim stand9 on the g-ound that thc teacher as a human person is the nmst important Sactor among all the agents of procluction in the cducitiona1 system. As a human person, the teacher organizes all other hcilitics for effectiveness and i i inc t ibna~i t~ of the cducatio~~al system. The tcacllcr is thc mal-lager and the co-ordinator of both the facilities and'thc lcarncrs. Any inadequacies in the personality and cducatio~i ol' the teachcrs will certainly bc reflected in both the competency and productivity of the prospective Icarners, as the teacher's products.

In the same wake of tliought, Umar (2002), notes that onc of thc issucs dominating the dcbateon' thc current educational crisis is tcacher quality. IIe f~~r-tlrcr c~bser-ves that, tcachcrs' level of preparation is

. . inadequate. Tlicir training has not prcparcd them [or the realities of their classroom, and the new challcnges posctl by thc new information age. In thc njords of Abiogu (2007), the Nigerian teacher of' today is like a farmer who cultiva~cs his farm sonwtimes with an antiquated hoe, or with availabie instrumcnt that is cr~rtlc in tlcsign and traditional in construction. occasiorially succecds, bc~t of tm fails, not bccal~sc lie cnjoys lhc odium of failure, but bccause 11c can only teach what Ilc hiows a d with the material av:lilnblc to him. ii .fi)rtiori (for greater reasons); thc idcology of Nigeria tcacher c ~ i ~ ~ c a t i o ~ ~ may not sustain its philosophic onions if the teacher 1Bils in his practicc to sutisfy t11c students' ncw learning nccds in this infcmnation ngc. This then implies that thcrc is necessity to launch Nigcria teacher education programme into the changing and challenging roles of1CT in education practice.

Thc Ncccssity of lie-tooling Nigcria Tcaclicr Education with ICT In education practice, thc tcachcr nceds to be conscious at all timcs in order to guide his students

intelligently, so as to enable them learn new ideas, and put them into practice. The teacher's main professional responsibility is not only to encounter his students as intelligent beings, but also to use the informative technological devices to further develop their learning process. Such development is expected to be for learning at the theoretical level, and to facilitatc the application of thcory to practical living. For the teacher to succeed on tllcsc two levels of professional cndcavour, the teacher nceds not ordy ar. assumption of his students as actual or potential thinkers; he also needs to complement this assumption with practical educational tools or resources.

In view of the above Ololube (2006),. is insistent that many Nigerian teachers have been unable to find effective ways to use technology in their classrooms, or any other aspect of their teaching and learning life. The possible esplanation for this lack of success by teachers is that the usc of technology in the classsoom has not bcen cncouragcd and teachers arc not well trained in using ICT in teaching, as a means for educational sustainability. This is in spite of thc specifications in the National Policy on Education by the Federal Government of Nigeria to "provide thrcugh education tcclmology, f d l - l i m or part-time courses of instruction and training in engineering, other technologies, applied science, busin;ss and management, leading Lo thc production of trained manpower" (FGN, 2004:41). Nigeria as :I nation came late into the use of'IC'I' in all sectors of the nation's existence, molc cspecially in tcacher cdiication. This is as a rcsult of clironic limitations brought about by economic disadvantages and government policies.

Ilisappoi~~tingly in a I -CSC~I -CI I study conducted by thc Global Information TechnoIogy (2004), the Ion or I-cport used the Networked I<cadiness Index (NRI) to measurc the degsee of preparation of a m t '

community to participate in, and bencfit from ICT devclopmcnt. Nigcria was ranked 86'" out of 104 countries. In 2005, the same rcsearch study was repcated by the same research corpus. This time it covered a total of 115 economies in 2005-2006. Nigeria was rankcd 9 0 ' ~ out of the 115 countries surveyed. United States of America topped the list, followed by,Singapore; Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Canada, Taiwan, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and what have you. The above indicates a decline in Nigeria's prcparcdness to participate in,and from ICT dcvclopmcnt globally. Interprctatively, Mac-Ikcn~enjirns (2005) in his paper presentation observes that imdamentally, the slow access to basic

25 TCT cquiprncnts, lo!: internet conncctivity and computer, and thc inadequacies in thc 11sc of a11diov1su:ll materials and equipments incI~iding films, slides, transparencies, pro!cctors. !;lobes, -clinrts, -

I m p s , bulletin boards, plus programmed materials, information rctr-icval systcnis, and instructional ttlcvision in teachcr education prograrnn1es, arc barrier to thc effective :ind prorcssionnl clcvc~lo!:~i~c~it of' tcachcrs in Nigeria. ". . . ,

This suggests urgent need for Nigeria government, as well as its ctlucationai adni~n~s!r:ttors and trainers to re-tool N~geria teacher education practice with appropriate technolog~cal tools, l'or thc.1-c I S

apparent infbrmation o ~ i t burst in education system world oyer, as Ogbuanya (2007) rightly avers. 7'1iis IS

spi~rrctl by :itlvancznicnt in tcchdlogy causing knowledge,. ideas and tccliniqws to cllangc so rnpltlly iliai

tlicy qu~ckly bccomc obsole~c. In other words, Nigeria teaclicr education is to I-c-tool ~ t s scctor with tlic media and its cvolving technology, such as KT, since its conventional teaching s:ratcgic:; :rnd pedagogy no longer satisfy students' needs.

Educational Implications of Re-Tooling Nigcria Tcachcr Edncation with IC:T Ni!:cri:~ tcnclirr cduc:rtinn Iias to bc rc-tooled witli infornialion :111(l ~ o ~ i i ~ i i ~ l ~ i i c : ~ t ~ o ~ ~ I ~ ~ ! ~ I I I I ~ I I O , V V

bccause tcaclier education as Anya (2001) highlights is the intellcctuat laboratory oi' any natlon, a n d tlic engine that propels its cconomy. By implication, the teacher education and ccononiic survival oi'Xigcria in the information age cannot be detached from ICT.

l'lic ~ s c and eili-ctive application of ICT in Nigeria tcaclicr cducation, will ccr-tainly t~-ansfi>r-m tlic teachc~-s' obsolete and abstruse traditional methods. It will also supplant the tcxhing and Icarning ~ m c t i c c witli rcvo1utiona1-y ncw paradigms of the information agc. This implics that tcachcrs will no longer tcacli and learn nfith difficulty and tears, for their methods as well as resources and dai:\ will be niodclcd into programmable bits, to facilitate the transfer and acquisition of knowlctlgc. -

No\v that thc \vholc world has become a global village through tlic usc of IC'I', i t implie:, that the teaclicr will achieve more effective performance, and an easy upturn of the reality oi' cdxational chnllcngcs, in mdcr to propcl LIK Ic:~rncr on thc upwad global Iium:+n clcvclIop~t~c~tt i ~ ~ t l u s .

Since tnodcrn cdqcation is now more or less centered on K T , which includcs intcnict cducation, e-commerce, human managerncnt, technical writing and comniunications, prograninic and projcct ~nanagemcrit as backbone to all other traditional deniains o i cducation, i t implies that Nigeria tcnehcr education programnie cannot isolate itseIf from the emerging global cultusc, as a result of tlic progress of' scicncc and technology wlinse impact is already evident in Nigeria's niodc of thinking and cxistcncc.

With the use of ICT, the world has moved closer to us, but such dream is yet to b e rcalizcd in Nigeria school system, bccause thc Nigcria lcacher who is tlic kcy man i l l thc drivc to progress, and who ought to teach and direct the students, is lacking in ICT skills and k n o w l c d ~ e . Cotitendit~gly, the aphorism is It-ue that nerno clnt p o d nou h h e t (no onc ofTcrs what otrc has not). In other words, it is what the teacher has, that h e offers. This implies that thcrc is nced for IT-looIing or re-stnlcturilig Nigeria teacher education programme witli the skill and knowledge o f IC?', sincc thc knowlcdgc o r ignorance of the teacher a s the casc may bc invariably nffccts his protiucts.

Rccomrncndations Based on t l ~ c above thesis o n re-tooling education for . thc infor~iiation age. and its

implications for Nigcria teacher education, the fbllowing rccommcndntions arc madc:Sincc -

Nigeria teacher education programme came late into the use of ICT, Nigeria govc~nment should declare ICT capacity building and infrastructure development an emergency which deserves thc highcst priority and budgetary allocation. To meet the digital challenges of the 21" century, and to savc Nigeria teacher from remaining culpably inferior and ignorant in intimate mattes of education technology, thc tcacher as wcll as the student teacher, shoultf.leam how to utilize computer technology, particularly in thc arcas of systcrn cnginccring and dcvcIopmcnt, databascs, multimcdia intcrfaccs and networking, visual working systems, apart from being connected with internet wcb. There should bc well articulated policies and designcd curriculum to enforce conservat levcls of education system to apply I C I ' in their instruction.The Fcderal, State and 1,ocm uuvcxrurlctll sr~ould embark on immctfiatc capacity building of teachcrs in ICT and its instructional applications through in service training, workshops and seminar.

! 0 It is the o m s (responsibility) of' the principals of both prima^-?^, scco~ifary and tertiary institutions to crcatc awarcncss for their tmchcrs, that thc global evolution ol" super-scientific approaches and manipulations (ICT), havc made i t imperative that, the teachcrs' qi~:~l l ty outconics mcasurcc1 through multiple indices, bccanic the Sclt ~iccll oScd~~cat ion t iday.

Conrlusion 'I'hc paper c~ldeavourcd to establisll that today's world is ~llat~~wlcrizccl by corlstanl tc.clmlogica(

changes. The changes are perceived in human comtnunication a;ld cognition, and in the nvcsd1 organization oi'tlic Icalning and teaching practice of the society. For h'igeria to catch up with these mpid changes, i t has to recognize essentially the indispensable role of tcachcrs in national dcveloprncnt. 111 ihc same alignment of thought the papcr maintained that since Nigeria conventional tcaching s h t q i c s and

- .pedagogy no lorlgcr satisfy [lie nccds of thc learners: Nigcria is to "re-tool" its tcachc: ctlucaiion programme, with the application of ~nfbrnbtion and Comn~unication Tcchnol'og\~.

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