Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / March 4, 1993, edition 2 / Page 3
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\Educators Speak Looking Beyond Textbooks To Educate Our Kids Our nation, and indeed the world, is in a time of chance as we move away from the Industrial Age and into the Information Age. This is a time when there is liter ally an information explosion. We receive informa tion at a rate which far exceeds any past rate of infor mation flow. The . world is changing with such speed that many text books arc outdatcs Larry D. Coble before they reach the classroom. Timely and accurate information, whether it comes from the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, or The Chronicle, is power. Educators arc faced with the chal lenges of change in how we educate and prepare students, how we empower them. Dr. Molcfi Asante has said that "one of the principle aspects of empowerment is respect. Students arc empowered when information is presented in such a.Aav that, ihey can walk out of the classroom fecfing Larry D. Coble that they are pari of the information/' If we are to empower students, it is crucial that we become increasingly effec tive at accessing, managing, and providing information. This means that we cannot rely on current teaching techniques hut must seek new methods of classroom instruction. This might mean using technology or news papers or whatever tools enable us to keep pace with the mass of information which is available to us. When significant events such as the fall of the Soviet Union occur, we must educate students about what is happening in their world at that moment. We cannot wait for the printing of a new textbook; we must turn to sources of infor mation which are readily accessible. The value of printed media and technology increase daily as we seek to ensure lhat the information which students receive is the best that is available at that moment. But beyond the need to have ready access to current anil accurate information is the need to have access to information which represents a diversity of viewpoints. The populations of our community, state and nation are diverse. We are a ".salad bowl" distinguished b\ the characteristics of our varied ancestries. We are a mullicul tural and multi-ethnic society. Wc must ? value and teach students to value this diver sity iflul to come to understand the unique ness which wc each bring. Again, this requires that we seek new and different edu cational tools, such as newspapers, lor use in the classroom. Locally, the Board of Iiducation h;is n adopted as a part of its strategic plan for the school system, a unifying principle which has diversity as it locus. The principle stales that we must provide "a climate that enhances multicultural understanding, with no tolerance for racism." This is a principle to which we are committed and toward which we are working. We have initiated special efforts to investigate ami examine the historical contributions of the imilticnl ? luial/mulli-ethnic groups represented h\ ihe .demographics of l-orsyth Count) ami lo inluse these findings into oui social studies curriculum lor grades K 12. l'he pu?|eci is initially targeting Ihe African American population which lorins our largest ami most significant minority gioup. Historically, our textbook and social studies materials have, lor the most pan. omitted segments of our population which have contributed greatly to our success and 'Id our growth as a cily and county, a state and as a nation. This has left a void in our knowledge base, in our awareness and understanding of the past as reflected in the present, and in our hank of role models available to our students. We are seeking to f *41 this votd and to hetp students glYTIT an understanding and appreciation for the con tributions of all citi/cn? of our community, stale and nation Hut. ;*gam. this requires that we It >?>k beyond the staiulard textbook to new sources of information, source* w ithin our community. The challenges arc great as \se move through the last vears ol the hWOs'and pre pare students lor the 2lsi century Oui \soik and oui culture are changing, and \sc must, seek lo equip and empowei e\eis child It' lv .ill th.il he 01 she can be We must help them become academic alls ptolictenl sin dents and piepaie them to he lesponsible citi/cns and cv'cnlualK productive woikci* and 1 1 1 e I o nu leatncis in a lapidh chan^mv woild Hut. in ihts process. \se miisi is* help Ihcm to gain an undei standing .me .ippicciation loi the di\eisii\ ol oui ci-ni mumty and counliy. I ,arr> I). I 't?l?U Supi'rinlcndrnl of S? hint|?. \\K I i 'S NIE Helps Develop Young Minds Into Diverse Thinkers NIE (Newspapers in Education) is an important part of the eliucaiional process, for it helps build the reading habil among young people. It helps to develop these young peo ple into informed citizens. <, Newspapers today have formidame com* : _ petition from television which so captivates young minds. Ilow&ker. only newspapers give in-depth background and analysis on current events. Even in advertising much more information can be presented by the advertiser in newspapers than on television or radio. We even clip coupons and olher ads from our newspapers and stuff them into our wallets and pockets for later use. Newspapers are our primary source of job information, housing information, as well as listings of cultural and community events. So. even with television, the newspaper-read ing youngster will be better informed. Many of our leathers do not fully appre ciate the many ways newspapers can be used in the classroom al all grade levels. Newspapers can easily be incorporated into classroom instruction in areas of art, social studies and mathematics. Below are samples of some classroom activities in these areas Language Arts (elementary) ? Cut out of 3 newspaper the letters needed to spell first and last name and paste on a piece of paper. ? Find words in the newspaper that describe yqursetf or someone you know, cut them out and paste them on a drawing of that person. Jean Steverson ? Choose live newspaper headlines and rewrite each into a complete sentence. Language Arts (secondary) ? Make a list of unfamiliar words in each week's news paper. When you have 20 words, define them and make a crossword pu/./.le. Try submit ting it to your com munity newspaper for publication. ? Imagine you are the main character in the novel you are currently reading; as the character, place a classified ad. write a letter to the editor, and submit a news story to the teacher. ? Clip an editorial out of the newspaper. Divide a piece of paper into two columns, labeling one "fact" and the other "opinion." List the information from the editorial in the appropriate columns. Compare your findings with the other students. Social Studies (elementary) ? Find examples in the newspaper of how people can get along with each other. Tell why it is important for people to get along. ? ? Cut out newspapers ads showing all the things you would like to own. Add up the cost of all those things and decide how much money you would have to earn to buy them. ? Pretend you are a famous African American such as Alex Haley or Tluirgood Marshall. Prepare yourself w> answer c|iies tions from other classmates who will he reporters. Social Studies (secondary) ? Over a period of weeks, clip articles that deal wiih racial probtemsT Discuss the reasons for those problems anil how you would solve them. ? Sluily the Constitution and Hill of Rights and become familiar with what all Americans are guaranteed under these docu ments. (Jo through the newspaper and- find as many examples of each of these rights either being upheld or denied. ? Every week check through the job list ings and put a red X through those jobs that could not be easily filled with only a high school education. Put a black X through those that could be filled only by a person uilh technical schooling or college training. Discuss your findings. Mathematics (primary ) ? I low many pictures of happy or sad people can you find in the newspaper? Cm them out. paste them on a piece of paper, and tell why you fee I ihes are happy or sail. ? Look through your newspaper and find shapes of squares, circles, rectangles. ovals and cylinders. Take a magic marker or crayon and trace over them ami label them: ? ? Vou have $25 to spend on food items. Look through the newspaper and list the items you would buy anil how many ofi\icTr Now add the cost of those items from the paper. He sure not to "spend" more than and don't lorget taxes. Mathematics (secondary i ? I* i ml anil circle in the newspaper words lhal illustrate I he concepts ol si/e location, time, ifuanlily. value ami money ? Research the monetary unit ol a loreign_ county and then change the prices in 10 non classified ads (display) in the ncwspa|>ei im< lhal foreign currency. ? Select three aparlincnl lisiings in llu dassilicd ads. Coinpnle I he total rent lor .1 >ear lor eac h ad. and determine the as cram monthly rem ol the three apartments Whuh apartment would you choose and why'' Additionally, in a miilli-cultural cduia lional system, il is nn|>orlanl thai all clnltlrcn be exposed lo and learn ol the culture and history ol" each olher. Such training will g< la r in breaking down cultural harriers 111 a rapidly changing society. Newspapers ol other cultures in the classroom on a continu ing hasis can help lay the ground work loi greater understanding ol and hence tolerance lor dil Terences in cultural, and racial back grounds. Since colleges and unrversiiies lot the most pari are not preparing leathers anc administrators mulli-c 11 1 1 11 r a 1 1 y. the same teachers and administrators can also learn much Trotn a good Nil! program lhal include" regular exjxisure lo newspapers lhal represent cultural rmd raei;t4 diversity of thetr sin ? dent population. . .lean Slftmnn \ssisl;inl Superintcnclcnl Western Rmkineham (it* School* Educating For Today And Tomorrow With News W. Max Walser textbooks and other Th?l David son County Schools arc pleased thai the Wm s ton -Salem Chronicle is involved uith the Newspapers in Education program. It is impossible for library/ classroom resources to provide the current events and local news on a daily basis. Newspapers provide the daily update of events. Learning to use newspapers in school teaches students a lifetime communications skill and pro vides them an avenue of easy access when it comes to keeping abreast of society's hap pemngs The Chromvlv's special edition insert for Blpck History Month is a wonderful idea and classroom resource. Articles which cap ture events in black history as well as cur rent happenings help readers appreciate our diverse society with many racial anil ethnic cultures. Student <>! toda\ live in ;? rapidly ch.tng inji world The media oiler a variety of chan nels through which *e interact and learn to live with each other on our planet earth Please contmuc to work \Mth lis .is we meet the challenge of educating students tcxlav lor the work! and workplace ot tomorrow. VV. Max \Natser Superintendent Davidson County Schools BLACK HISTORY is every month, 3 L \j week after week, in the & Winston-Salem Chronicle " The TWin City'* Auxtrd-Winning Weekly'
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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March 4, 1993, edition 2
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