TEACHING PRACTICE EXPERIENCES OF COMPUTER AND INTEGRATED SCIENCE STUDENT-TEACHERS, CHALLENGES AND POSSIBLE PANACEA

ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study is to investigate the challenges facing the computer and integrated science students’ teachers during their teaching practice exercise and the possible panacea. To guide the study, six research questions and two research hypotheses were structured and used. The researchers used case study which cover all the 2017/2018 computer and integrated science final year student of the school of science education, Enugu State college of education (Technical), Enugu. A sample of 110 final year students were selected for the study through proportionate simple random sampling techniques from all the department under school of science education. Questionnaires were used to collect data after scrutining for face validation by research experts including the researchers’ supervisor.  One hundred and ten questionnaire copies were distributed to the respondents (student, teachers) and exactly the same numbers were collected back after filling. The collected data were analyzed using likert nominal scale mean value correlation with the computed table mean value using the formular of appendix 3.0 findings of the study have shown that computer and integrated science student teachers are faced with a lot of personal, institutional organization and staff, supervision, pupils and classroom/laboratories equipments challenges.  Based on the findings of the research, some remedies were suggested and recommendations adduced.
 
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1      Background of the study
Education is a good instrument for the comprehensive development of the human beings where the whole body is effectively utilized to achieve a pre-determined set of objectives (Ejili and Anyanwu, 2006).  It is a complex process which starts to improve out lives as soon as we are born, and continues to do so until we die.
According to Aguba (2006) “aim of Education is the production of good men, that is for one to be educated, one must be prepared to use knowledge in the service of god and humanity. We can say that, education is a process of acquiring ideas, skills and values that facilitated the development of the society.  The nation recognizes the importance of teacher education when they continued to give a major emphasis in all our educational planning. This is basically because no educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers, that is to say that the quality of the teachers in any country determines national development.
The national policy on education of the federal Republic of Nigeria (1998) outlined the purpose of teacher education as follows:
a.          To produce highly motivated, conscientious, effective classroom teachers for all learning in our education system.
b.          To encourage further the spirit of enquiring and creativity in teachers.
c.           To help teachers to fit into the community and the society at large and to enhance their commitments to national objectives.
d.          To provides teachers with intellectual and professional background adequate for assignment and to make them adaptable to any changing situation not only in the life of their country but to the wider world.
e.          To enhance teachers’ commitment to the teaching profession in teacher education, teaching practice is a very important aspect of any teaching-training programme.  It is a student-teacher and prospective regular teacher what housemanship is to young medical doctor.  Questions may be asked-why does a young lawyer on being called to the Bar choose first to study under an older and more experienced lawyer? Why do young medical doctors go for housemanship under the more experienced ones? Why do vocational education students go on industrial training? Likewise, why do student – teachers or prospective teachers go on teaching practice? These questions and their answers are very similar.  No human being anywhere would have to face some dangers that could be voided.  There is a popular adage, which says that “prevention is always better than cure” or a stitch in time, saves nine” most of the student teachers do not seem to be fully aware of this fact. May be because of the small proportion of the entire time allocated to teaching, he needs to go through adequate and appropriate teaching practice experience.
Akilaiya (2001) defined teaching practice as an integral part of teacher education programme which provides opportunity for student teachers to put all theoretical knowledge into practice in real school situation.  It is a compulsory practical exercise for every student – teacher.  It is the first opportunity for a student-teacher to participate in activities involved in teaching in actual situations.  It affords the prospective teachers the opportunity to test, prove the lecture – room theoretical assertions and at the same time provide a forum for him to try out teaching and see whether he can really be a good teacher.  So it is very essential that student – teachers should take teaching practice very seriously.
The objectives of teaching practice for assessing student – teachers are as follows:
i.            To provide opportunities for the students to acquire and prove teaching skills.
ii.           To enable the students effectively plan and prepare lessons.
iii.         To help the students develop traits, attitudes and abilities;
iv.         To enable the student to bring about learning in children, and
v.          To enable the students to acquire the characteristics of a teacher and to display appropriate behaviour.
The seven principles for good practice on good teaching and learning in schools are:
i.            It encourage good contact between student and lectures,
ii.           It develops reciprocity and co-operation among students
iii.         It gives prompt feedback
iv.         It emphasizes times on task,
v.          It communicates high expectations and
vi.         It respects diverse talents and ways of learning
According to Iloh (2001), the key actors in teaching practice are; the student teachers, the resident supervisor, the college supervisors and the principals/heads of department of the co-operating schools.
The student – teacher is the prospective teacher that is still under training, who is acquiring skills, knowledge and techniques required for teaching profession.  At this point, he puts all he had learnt into practice.
The resident supervisor means the co-operating teacher in the co-operating school.  He is the teacher the student – teacher meets at school where he is doing his teaching practice.  He may be the class teacher of the class the student – teacher is using for practice.  He sees whether the student – teacher is punctual and regular in this class.  He also assists him with his lesson note so as to have an effective lesson note.
College supervisor is the student –teachers lecturer.  He comes to find out whether the student-teacher has really understood what he has been taught as regards the teaching techniques and methodology.  And finally brings back the student-teachers performance to his school.
The principals/head of departments of the co-operating school is the person in charge of the co-operating school where the student – teacher is doing his teaching practice.  He helps in the selection of co-operating teachers who can work with the student-teachers.  He builds rapport among resident teachers and student –teachers to enhance their professional growth.
Microteaching is one of the most important developments in the field of teaching practice.  It is originated in Stanford University in 1963.  This practice holds very great promise for the future of teacher preparations.  It goes a long way to solving some of the challenges involved in student teaching practice.  Before the introduction of the microteaching, there was no provision for the student – teacher to practice the act of teaching before they go on teacher practice.  And their performances in teaching practice during those periods where not satisfied. So microteaching helps the student-teachers to have an early encounter with teaching and in this way attempts to put into practice some of the theories learnt in the lectures.
1.1  STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The importance of teaching practice is that it is a crucial period for the teachers to put into practice concepts learnt at school.It is difficult to recognize good teaching unless one has passed through the process.In order to translate theory into practice, the student-teacher will encounter a lot of challenges, but since teaching practice is important in the teaching preparation programme, there is a need for adequate planning and implementations.This study is mainly focused on finding out those challenges encountered by the practicing student – teachers and possible solutions to those challenges.