Nigerian Journal of Business Education (NIGJBED) Volume 3 No.2, 2016 RADITIONAL PEDAGOGY TO INNOVATIVE PEDAGOGY IN BUSINESS EDUCATION: A CHALLENGE TO BUSINESS T EDUCATORS EKOH ANGELA CHEKWUBE (Ph.D) [email protected] Educational Management Department, College of Education, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State. Abstract In recent time, the global world has observed that the traditional pedagogy of business education courses can no longer meet the trends of events in the education sector especially in the instructional delivery of business educators in academic institutions. Emphatically, the applied pedagogical approaches are insufficient for preparing the students pursuing higher education in business education globally as well as the type of teachers, leaders, and entrepreneurs that we need for the future. The time is right to identify innovative teaching and learning solutions emerging around the world whether globally relevant or adopted to local needs. The business educators must be ready to embrace the pedagogical approach since education today focuses on creativity and innovation. It is no longer the usual traditional pedagogy. This means that the business educators task is not only to impart information but also to plan and design learning activities, coherent with the expected results and the resources in order to inspire and encourage the students, transforming the learning process into an active, dynamic, participatory, motivating and enriching experience. This paper identified the traditional and innovative pedagogy in use for business education and challenges in the application of innovative pedagogy by business educators. Conclusion was drawn and recommendations proffered among others that: business educators should develop interest in embracing the innovative pedagogy. Keywords: Traditional, Innovative Pedagogy in Business Education, Business Educators Introduction: Education is a light that shows the mankind the right direction to surge. The aim of education is not just making a student literate but adds rationale thinking, knowledge- ability, self sufficiency and self reliance. Education is an engine for the growth and progress of any society. It not only imparts knowledge, skills and inculcates values, but it is also responsible for building human capital which breeds, drives and sets technological innovation and economic growth. Education in the most vividly sense of the term is a process of self-discovery. It is the art of self-sculpture. It trains the individual not so much in specific skills or on specific branch of knowledge, but in the flowering of his/her latent intellectual, artistic and humanist capacities. The test of education is whether it imparts an urge for learning and learning ability. Nigerian Journal of Business Education Volume 3 No.2, 2016 URL: http://www.nigjbed.com.ng . All Rights Reserved. 133 Nigerian Journal of Business Education (NIGJBED) Volume 3 No.2, 2016 Similarly, business education is primarily education for vocation. This implies that business education is education for self reliance, self-independence, self-sufficiency and above all education that equips individuals with relevant and necessary skills to fit into any environment despite the situation of the economy. Ibrahim (2008) affirmed that business education is a training system that equips the beneficiary with skills that are needed by individuals to fit into the world of work. He further added that it encompasses knowledge, altitudes and skills that are necessary in order to effectively manage personal as well as business affairs within the economic system. Oyedele (2000) stated that business education is a broad and diverse discipline that is included in both secondary and post secondary institutions. He further explained that it includes education for an office occupation, distribution and marketing occupations, accounting, business, teaching and business administration. This indicates that business education covers a wide range of spectrum of economic activities in any society, as well as the desirable business competencies appropriate for self-employment which is particularly pertinent in the present global economic situation, by equipping individuals with lifelong skills for self- reliance. The aforementioned implies that business education aims at educating and equipping people among other things for roles in enterprises in an economy. Business education therefore covers knowledge and skills that hold prospects of gainful employment in all ramifications. This indicates that knowledge acquired in business education is relevant to all discipline as there is no hardly any field of human endeavor that does not have element of business. Based on the nature and importance of business education in our education sector and national development, it is very imperative to be mindful of the pedagogical approaches that are suitable and effective for imparting these special knowledge and skills in students of business education. However, pedagogy refers to the teaching skills teachers use and the activities these skills generate to enable students to learn the knowledge and skills related to different subject areas (Center for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education- CUREE, 20112). The business educators are the special people that this enormous task lays on their heads. They must be ready to embrace the innovative pedagogy since education today focuses on creativity and innovations. Impartation of knowledge is no longer the usual traditional pedagogy which is insufficient for preparing the billions of student for pursuing higher education in business education globally, as well as the type of teachers, leaders and entrepreneurs that we need for the future. This implies that the business educator task is not only to impart information but also to plan and design learning activities, coherent with the expected results and the resources in order to inspire and encourage the students, transforming the learning process into an active dynamic, particularly, innovating and enriching experience. Pedagogy could also be defined as a highly complex bled of theoretical understanding and practical skill (Lovat, 2003). Nigerian Journal of Business Education Volume 3 No.2, 2016 URL: http://www.nigjbed.com.ng . All Rights Reserved. 134 Nigerian Journal of Business Education (NIGJBED) Volume 3 No.2, 2016 Objectives of Business Education Programme and Educators One cannot mention business education program without highlighting its objectives and its stand in the National policy on Education which will guide one properly in identifying appropriate innovative pedagogy that should be applied by business educators towards achieving the stated objectives. Osualu (2002) stated the following as the objectives of business education. 1. To enable students explore and learn about the world of work and the relevant interest and career areas of their choice. 2. To provide students with the necessary occupational information found in the world of work 3. To enable students acquire skills in fields of their choice. 4. To enable students prepare for, choose, enter into and progress in occupation of their choice. Viewing business education as a way out towards enhancing our National development, Sani (2005) emphasized that the importance of business education as a panacea for national development is recognized in Nigeria through the aims of technical education as contained in the National policy of education (2004) as follows: 1. To provide manpower in applied sciences, technology and commerce, particularly at sub-professional levels. 2. To provide the technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic development. 3. To provide people who can apply scientific knowledge to environmental problems for the use and convenience of man. 4. To give training and impact the skills leading to the production of craftsmen, technicians and other skilled personnel who will b enterprising and self-reliant. 5. To give an introduction to professional studies in engineering and other technology 6. To enable young men and women have an intelligent understanding of the increasing complexity of technology. Having knowledge of these stated objectives of the business education program by business educators; one will first ask how far business educators have gone in achieving these objectives in their instructional delivery? Are these objectives being reflected in the beneficiaries? If the answers to these questions are no, then the business educators are not imparting the appropriate knowledge and skills properly with effective pedagogy. In agreement to this statement, Dube and Moffat (2009) observed that techniques used by business educators were incompatible with the goal of trying to prepare learners (business education students) for the world of work. They further added that majority of business teachers were still yoked to the conventional teaching methods such as lecturing. Garavan and Cinneide in Sithole (2010) opined that using traditional Nigerian Journal of Business Education Volume 3 No.2, 2016 URL: http://www.nigjbed.com.ng . All Rights Reserved. 135 Nigerian Journal of Business Education (NIGJBED) Volume 3 No.2, 2016 teaching methods to develop practical business skills is inappropriate and can be likened to teaching “to drive a car using the rear mirror”. Similarly, Borrington (2004) opined that the teaching of business skills requires the use of Kinesthetic and experiential