The objective of the present study was to develop an invention education program usable for the practical arts subject in elementary school. For this purpose, we chose the goals and content structure of invention education in the practical arts subjec...
The objective of the present study was to develop an invention education program usable for the practical arts subject in elementary school. For this purpose, we chose the goals and content structure of invention education in the practical arts subject through literature review, and tested the adequacy of the goals and content structure with elementary school teachers in the capital area. Based on the goals and content structure, we developed an invention education program usable in elementary practical arts and completed it through specialists’ review and field application.
In order to test the necessity of invention education and the adequacy of the goals and contents, we distributed questionnaires to 300 elementary school teachers, recovered 246 of them, and excluding insincerely answered ones, we analyzed 228 questionnaires and used the data in this study. In the results of analyzing teachers’ needs in developing an invention education program, most of the teachers recognized the necessity of invention education in elementary school, and replied that invention education is necessary in the practical arts subject. As to the contents of invention education in practical arts, they replied that it is desirable to make a separate unit composed of contents for 6~7 sessions rather than distributing contents related to invention education among several units. For invention education, teachers wanted teaching materials such as invention techniques, reading materials on invention, and materials for experiencing inventions. Teaching-learning materials necessary for enhancing the effect of invention education were worksheets and guidelines for teaching-learning.
The invention education program developed in this study included invention education materials applicable to the practical arts subject and teachers’ guidebook, and was composed of a large unit and three small units for six sessions. The contents of the developed program were revised through four specialists’ review, and were improved through field application to 30 six graders. The results of this study are as follows.
First, according to the general objective of invention education, we set the specific goals of invention education in elementary practical arts as ‘to understand invention in daily life, to acquire basic invention techniques, to conceive simple interventions, and to have an active attitude toward invention.’
Second, the small units of contents selected for invention education were the understanding of invention, the conception of inventions, and the understanding of intellectual property rights. The unit for understanding invention taught invention in daily life and the understanding of invention, the unit for conceiving inventions taught various invention techniques and idea sketch, and the unit for understanding intellectual property rights taught the meaning and importance of intellectual property rights, and the contents were designed to be taught through six sessions.
Third, the teaching materials and teachers’ guidebook suggested guidelines for practice, invention worksheets, and teaching-learning plans so that teachers can solve problems in their practice instruction, and lastly, various reading materials were suggested so that students may have a positive attitude toward invention.