Let’s Develop Your Material

Abstract

In this study, “Instructional technology and material design†course in faculty of education was conducted in cooperation with the teachers in primary and secondary schools. The study was carried out as part of the “My Teacher Let’s Develop Your Materialâ€Â with the participation of 3rd grade students at Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Faculty of Education, Social Studies Teaching in 2013/2014 academic year, autumn semester. In this study, the students of Social Science Teaching have developed the materials for real schools’ needs in class instruction at university.  Initially, prospective students applied the material planned and prepared during the teaching process in their classes. The materials whose mistakes were corrected and the lacks were completed by pre-application were applied in real classroom environment including 4th to 8th grade classes of primary and secondary schools located in the centre of Burdur. In the development of materials, a grading scale was prepared with various criteria such as being up to date, providing accurate information, enabling students to be effective, being plain and simple. The scale was used by prospective teachers, permanent social science and classroom teachers in schools. With quantitative data obtained from this scale; the data obtained from written opinions of prospective teachers, permanent social science and classroom teachers were analyzed together. At the end of the study, it has come out that the organic link between the university and the actual schools became stronger. In addition, it has been identified that as a result of only 4th grade prospective teachers attending an actual school having done such an application at 3rd grade, these prospective teachers achieved significant gains regarding lesson planning, materials development, application and evaluation process. Furthermore, it was identified that school applications facilitated the works of permanent social science and classroom teachers in actual schools, these teachers started to transfer new developments in their classrooms by interacting with university students; 4rd to 8th grade students met with different applications that affected the actual classroom environment positively.    

 

Keywords: Social science; classroom teacher; instructional technology; material design;, teaching profession; university-school collaboration