Browsing by Author "Yeboah, Rita"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Developing instructional resources from selected recycled materials for art education
    (May, 2015 ) Yeboah, Rita
    Instructional resources are known to play important roles in arousing learners’ thoughts, feelings, and interests and motivating them to develop high interest in subject matter, and improving teachers’ competencies in lesson delivery towards achievement of lesson objectives. In Ghana, Art teachers are expected to use instructional resources in the classroom but they are not provided with materials to create the needed resources. Some of the Art teachers also lack the skills to improvise so the teachers teach their lessons without practical and interactive instructional resources. This study therefore focused on exploring the possibility of recycling waste papers, plastics and fabrics into simple instructional resources that would facilitate the teaching of topics within the Creative Art, Basic Design and Technology (BDT), and General Knowledge in Art (GKA) curricula for Primary, Junior and Senior High Schools in Ghana. The resources that were developed through the exploration were tested in Primary, Junior and Senior High Schools by selected class teachers to ascertain how effective the developed resources can aid learners to understand lessons taught in those topics. The outcome of lessons that were taught with the developed instructional resources were compared with lessons in which the teachers used no instructional resources. To promote recycling and sustain classroom use of instructional resources, selected Art Education students, practising Art teachers and College of Education students were trained to acquire the relevant skills in recycling waste materials to create instructional resources for teaching Art at the various educational levels. A teaching guide that can be used to train practising Art teachers and College of Education students in Ghana’s Colleges of Education on practical ways to recycle and create instructional resources for teaching Art was developed. Three research questions that guided the study were: 1 a) How can paper, plastic and fabric wastes be used to develop instructional resources for teaching Art? 1 b) How will the developed instructional resources impact on teaching and learning of Art? 2) How can Art Education students, practising Art teachers and College of Education students acquire the skills for developing instructional resources from waste materials for teaching Art? 3) What are the requisites for designing an appropriate teaching guide on recycling to create instructional resources for teaching Art from waste materials? The study adopted qualitative enquiry, exploratory, quasi-experimental, participatory action and descriptive research methods with participant observation and interviews to gather the required data. The population studied consisted of a purposive and convenience sample of 17 Art Education students in KNUST, 25 practising Art teachers in Kumasi (Primary = 6, JHS =14, SHS = 5) and 100 Art students from Offinso College of Education in the Ashanti Region. The exploration proved that paper, fabric and plastic waste materials can be safely recycled to create appropriate instructional resources for teaching topics under Creative Art, Basic Design and Technology (Visual Art option) and General Knowledge in Art. Testing the developed instructional resources showed that when appropriate instructional resources are used for teaching and learning of Art, lessons become very practical, interactive, interesting and real to learners which helps them to achieve more in their academics as against teaching them without the use of instructional resources. From the training, it was deduced that the Art Education students, practising Art teachers and the College of Education students found it useful for them to be trained to recycle waste materials to create instructional resources to support teaching and learning. The instructional plan that was used for the training sessions and the findings of the research, which informed the development of the teaching guide, offers opportunity for more practising Art teachers and College of Education students to be trained to recycle and create instructional resources for teaching and learning. The study recommends that waste materials should be explored and recycled by classroom teachers for effective teaching and learning of Art and other subjects at the Primary, Junior and Senior High Schools in Ghana.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Waste fabrics that can be used to produce handmade papers when combined with the paper mulberry bark
    (2011) Yeboah, Rita
    The problem studied focuses on how some of the things society perceives as waste can be best managed to prevent the problems that waste causes to the environment. The study focused mainly on identifying waste fabrics that could produce useful sheets of papers when combined with paper mulberry. In this context, waste fabrics included pieces of linen, cotton, wool, nylon, polyester and acetate fabrics from cutting floors of garment makers and old cloths that are no more of use to their owners. Paper mulberry is a plant grown purposely for papermaking because of the cellulose content in its inner bark which makes it suitable for making paper. The waste fabrics were combined with paper mulberry inner back in the ratio of 30% paper mulberry and 70% waste fabrics to produce handmade papers. Colour pencils, watercolour, pastel, poster colour, oil and acrylic paints were tested on the papers produced from the identified fabrics. In addition, miniature books were made from the sheets to ascertain their suitability for book making as well as their adaptability to usage as writing pads. The linen, cotton, nylon, polyester, wool and acetate waste fabrics. The study introduced the outcome of the experimental work to selected art teachers in the Kumasi metropolis so that they could also introduce this art to their students in school. Three research questions that guided the study were: How can experiments be carried out to identify waste fabrics that can produce useful papers when combined with the bark of the paper mulberry plant? How can the identified fabrics be used to produce sheets of paper to be used in making art? How can the workshop with the teachers be carried out? Findings from this qualitative research approaches used were experimental, descriptive and action research methods with participant observation and interviews. The population studied consisted of Primary, Junior and Senior High School art teachers in Kumasi. The convenience sampling technique was used to select 20 schools and purposive sampling was used to select one art teacher each from the 20 schools. From the experiments conducted, it was discovered that cotton waste plus paper mulberry, the combination of linen, cotton plus paper mulberry can produce useful sheets that can be used as writing pads. Nylon, polyester, wool, and acetate sheets could not be used as writing pads. Cotton waste plus paper mulberry, the combination of linen, cotton, plus paper mulberry sheets can be used for colour pencil and pastel works conveniently without problems. Sheets from nylon, polyester, wool and acetate waste fabrics cannot be used for colour pencil and pastel works. Cotton plus paper mulberry sheets can conveniently support watercolour works, but because of the fast absorption, drying and bleeding nature of the watercolour paint on the linen, nylon, polyester, wool, acetate and the combination of linen, cotton and paper mulberry sheets, working with the watercolour paint on the sheets is not very convenient. Linen, cotton, nylon, polyester, wool, acetate and the combination of linen, cotton and paper mulberry handmade sheets can all give a good support to oil and acrylic paints. Linen, cotton, nylon, polyester, wool, acetate, and the combination of linen, cotton and paper mulberry sheets can support poster painting excellently. From the workshop organised for the selected teachers, it was deduced that for waste recycling to become part and parcel of individual Ghanaians, it will take education and this education can start from schools. From the study, it was proposed that the government should establish a paper and pulp mill in Kumasi for papermaking. Ghana Education Service (GES) should organise annual workshops for Creative Art teachers in Primary and Junior High schools to teach the teachers the hand papermaking processes. Schools in Ghana must set up practical recycling programmes and activities in their schools, to help instill the need and importance of recycling of waste materials in students. To sustain recycling programmes and activities in schools, heads of schools must be willing to provide basic equipment and tools that students will need to work with. Further research must be carried out to identify recyclable waste materials that can be adopted for recycling.