The use of scrap metals in the vocational skills programme for teachers education

Children have been playing with empty cans and taming them into useful objects at hose. Teachers, however, do not know snob about bow to help children work skillfully with theme discarded cane, sheets and rods. The objective is to produce an instructional manual on the use of scrap metals for teachers-in-training Training, In addition, it will generate interest in children and help them improve upon the present work which they do without any tuition. It has, for quite a long time, been the practice of consumers of viands in cans and other goods that are canned, to discard the containers whenever the products in them have been used. These containers are left at the mercy of the weather and after some time, they become rusted and are finally thrown away. Such empty cans like those of cooking oil, talcum powder end beverages can be used in making utility article. Some of these articles are functional. Currently the craze to work with such cans is common among children in the age bracket of ten to nineteen years. This is the period children are about to enter or tire in the Junior Secondary schools through to the Senior Secondary Schools. It is therefore of great importance the t the knowledge of the u e of such scrap metals in creative works should be given its proper place in the Vocational Skills programme. It might be a point of interest to state that even though there have been no formal teaching by tutors, children who show interest in modelling with such cans are able to copy almost exactly the designs they set eyes on. These children are able to exhibit intrinsic qualities in creativity by producing articles which seems to have been done by people having had some formal basic training in architecture. A better orgenisation end teaching of the corn4jtution and composition of such scrap metals end their reactions to strains and stretches would enable children to know more about methods of joining them together to form broader sheets. Presently children can join sheets of cans by interlocking two ideas together. Processes like welding, soldering and riveting are not known to them. The ability to join such sheets of cane and use them to fabricate objects of different sizes and shapes will widen the scope in the Vocational Skill programme in the schools. Furthermore the subject will introduce children to other subjects like Technical Drawing and mathematics. Working with scrap metals will also improve upon the creative ability of children. In their attempt to construct toys, they are almost always temp tea to copy models of vehicle they see around them4 In so doing, they stretch their minds further to achieve their objectives. Common vehicles children do copy are caravans, articulators, armour cars and cargoes. Some of the functional objects are coal-pots, baking cane, ovens and boxes. Since there are many people who complete their education and can find no work to do, the knowledge of using scrap metals and turning them into any useful object can be taken as one of the lucrative 3obs to earn a living in the society. The skills gained at this stage will have to pre-dispose the child to ‘be self-reliant, creative, productive end self-confident. Basic Education is not to train children for specific vocations or jobs but rather to give them exposure to a wide variety of ideas end skills, and build in them the attitudes that will help them to be ready both to cope creatively with their own environment and problems and to be great assets to the country. Introducing working with scrap metals into the Basic Education programme will thus fulfil one of the noble aims of this programme. Therefore teacher-in-training should acquire the skills in order to impart them to their pupils. The Experiments and the practical work are sample teaching methodology to be used by teachers in training

Source: KNUST