Newspapers in Education improve reading skills
Aug 07, 2007
DO you know that Newspapers In Education (NiE) is causing an indelible impact on pupils’ reading skills? Are you aware that the newspaper is an exciting teaching aid?
By Amos Mfitumukiza
DO you know that Newspapers In Education (NiE) is causing an indelible impact on pupils’ reading skills? Are you aware that the newspaper is an exciting teaching aid?
From the time I started using NIE with S2s at Trust High School, Gayaza, I have been captivated by it. It all began when in May, New Vision staff demonstrated to us how newspapers can help in teaching students. We took up the idea to improve the academic levels of our students.
Andrew Musasizi, 14, impressed me during the reading lessons, when I divided my class into groups. He emerged the best reader. His fast reading astounded me because earlier, he was slow and unsteady in reading passages or even a sentence on a blackboard during English lessons. However, with a newspaper reading lesson, he was loud and fluent.
Musasizi found it easy to give three causes of difficulty of touring in insecure places, after he read an article about a suspected al Quaeda suicide bombing.
Reading articles from newspapers is becoming an imperative advantage to a child. It arouses their ability to comprehend questions asked about the article by the teacher.
Use of NiE is succeeding in inculcating the four language skills in classrooms. My pupils who had difficulties in reading and writing are finding it easy to express themselves. They are showing more interest with newspaper lessons, especially when every individual is made to cut pictures, fashion styles and cartoons of their interest and paste them on the walls. It is after this activity that some have begun to show their ambitions.
Some of the achievements inferred in the exercise were the ability to learn pronounciations of pronunciations, spellings and so on.
Sarah Namulondo, 11, won a prize from a weekly quiz which we have on Saturdays about what we learnt in the newspaper reading.
Conducting newspaper reading has enabled pupils to be fast-thinking. Namulondo was able to beat students in S.4. This made me a happy teacher.
It was then that I realised reading the newspaper daily has improved students’ reading skills and made learning English easy. They are learning to answer questions related to passages. In effect, this is preparing them for studying Literature, as well as being aware of the society they live in.
Newspapers as a principal source of material have been found to make learners acquire better achievement scores than their counterparts who only rely on textbooks.
I call upon fellow teachers and students to join me and cherish NIE. This way you are doing a valuable service to the learners. The newspaper simulates the real world/society into classroom lessons. If you wish to have your child well-versed with a mirror of our society, just give him or her a newspaper.
Teachers should use newspapers during lessons and parents should buy them for their children. It is then that pupils’ interest in reading will improve, knowledge will increase and ultimately, students will excel academically.
The writer is the patron NiE, Trust High School, Gayaza
DO you know that Newspapers In Education (NiE) is causing an indelible impact on pupils’ reading skills? Are you aware that the newspaper is an exciting teaching aid?
From the time I started using NIE with S2s at Trust High School, Gayaza, I have been captivated by it. It all began when in May, New Vision staff demonstrated to us how newspapers can help in teaching students. We took up the idea to improve the academic levels of our students.
Andrew Musasizi, 14, impressed me during the reading lessons, when I divided my class into groups. He emerged the best reader. His fast reading astounded me because earlier, he was slow and unsteady in reading passages or even a sentence on a blackboard during English lessons. However, with a newspaper reading lesson, he was loud and fluent.
Musasizi found it easy to give three causes of difficulty of touring in insecure places, after he read an article about a suspected al Quaeda suicide bombing.
Reading articles from newspapers is becoming an imperative advantage to a child. It arouses their ability to comprehend questions asked about the article by the teacher.
Use of NiE is succeeding in inculcating the four language skills in classrooms. My pupils who had difficulties in reading and writing are finding it easy to express themselves. They are showing more interest with newspaper lessons, especially when every individual is made to cut pictures, fashion styles and cartoons of their interest and paste them on the walls. It is after this activity that some have begun to show their ambitions.
Some of the achievements inferred in the exercise were the ability to learn pronounciations of pronunciations, spellings and so on.
Sarah Namulondo, 11, won a prize from a weekly quiz which we have on Saturdays about what we learnt in the newspaper reading.
Conducting newspaper reading has enabled pupils to be fast-thinking. Namulondo was able to beat students in S.4. This made me a happy teacher.
It was then that I realised reading the newspaper daily has improved students’ reading skills and made learning English easy. They are learning to answer questions related to passages. In effect, this is preparing them for studying Literature, as well as being aware of the society they live in.
Newspapers as a principal source of material have been found to make learners acquire better achievement scores than their counterparts who only rely on textbooks.
I call upon fellow teachers and students to join me and cherish NIE. This way you are doing a valuable service to the learners. The newspaper simulates the real world/society into classroom lessons. If you wish to have your child well-versed with a mirror of our society, just give him or her a newspaper.
Teachers should use newspapers during lessons and parents should buy them for their children. It is then that pupils’ interest in reading will improve, knowledge will increase and ultimately, students will excel academically.
The writer is the patron NiE, Trust High School, Gayaza