Primary School Teachers’ Views on the Preparation and Usage of Authentic Material

Abstract

The students of primary school, secondary school, high school and university confront a vast array of stimulants along with the developing technology in their daily lives. With the classroom environment’s lack of rich stimulus, it is difficult to get the students’ attention using traditional teaching methods. If teachers choose both technological materials and two-three dimensional materials and use them effectively, lessons will be more understandable to the students. The objective of this research is to record the opinion of primary school teachers about the preparation and usage of educational materials. The research was methodized by employing a qualitative pattern. The working group consists of 106 teachers who attended the Instructional Materials Seminar in Aksaray, Turkey. A semi-structured interview form was used to collect the data of this research. The research data was analyzed by using a content analysis method (specifically, the Phenomenological pattern). Teachers stated that it is of primary importance to use materials for concretizing topics and easier and permanent learning. The most important problems for teachers during preparation of materials are listed as a lack of time, money, equipment and knowledge. All the teachers who attended the research stated that it is necessary to prepare materials in all professions but it is especially important for Mathematics. Teachers also stated that materials that students can touch and see help most while teaching abstract topics.