Unit 2

Using popular print media in the

classroom
Different popular
print media formats
 'Popular print media' is a term that
describes a wide variety of media
formats that include newspapers,
magazines, billboards, and advertising
flyers.
 Our focus will be magazines and
newspapers, but even these are
different enough to offer teachers a rich
variety of potential teaching resources.
 Refer to page 39
1. Similarities between
magazines and newspapers

 Similarities - tell their stories (using

similar formats) – words, photographs,
diagrams, graphics, cartoons, statistics,
advertisements, letters from readers,
horoscopes and puzzles

 Apply further reading on page 39.

 Magazines Newspapers

They are concerned with They focus on informing

entertaining their readers
readers

They contain many in- They carry mainly short,

depth 'human interest' 'hard news‘ stories with
feature stories: stories a few in-depth stories
2.
Differences about linked to the news and
between places or personalities politics
magazines and
newspapers They make more use of They carry photographs of
photographs – colour recent events,
fully and prominently – diagrams, graphs, maps
and and tables of statistics,
carry more colourful weather, financial and
adverts entertainment information,
and political cartoons and
editorials linked to the
latest news
 They differ according to the kind of readership
they try to attract.

'general interest' publications = Cosmopolitan,

Bona, The Sowetan, The Star

There are 'specialist' publications = Business

Day, or Getaway
Not all
newspaper
s and Specialist publications offer more in-depth
articles that could be useful in teaching subject
magazines content
are the
same Weekly newspapers such as the Mail and
Guardian or Sunday Independent – carry longer,
more analytical articles than daily newspapers
Publications in South Africa
still tend to target racially-
defined audiences
 The Sowetan = an 'African' readership (lots of
soccer news)

 The Star = predominantly white audience (lots

of rugby news)
 Social class – or income – is also emerging
as important in the kinds of articles carried
by magazines or newspapers

 Ebony = (younger) black, upper middle-class audience

 Bona = slightly older, less affluent (not wealthy) black audience

3.
Magazine or newspaper carries a
wide variety of formats within their
covers: from adverts and cartoons
through to statistics, photographs
and good writing

 This variety – of formats

used within publications,
of differences between
magazines and
newspapers, and
differences among
magazines and
newspapers – provides
teachers with a rich
pool of teaching and
learning resources
Supplementing teaching
across
the curriculum
 Popular print media cover a wide
variety of topics
 They do so in a lively and accessible
manner.
 Journalists also tend to write about the
impact on society of things which might
be dealt with in an abstract way in
learning areas such as biology,
science, or economic studies
Apply further reading on page 42
Uses of popular print
media
Popular print media are used to:
 activate learner interest in the topic
you are trying to teach;
 contextualize learning by linking the
topic to the learners' life experiences;
 make abstract concepts more 'visible'
and concrete so as to improve learner
understanding of the topic;
 update and supplement textbook
knowledge.
  Use popular print media so that
Activating learners can see the link between
learner their schoolwork and their lives.
 Learning will become interesting
interest and simple.
Contextualizing school
knowledge

Another way of engaging

learner interest is by teaching
in a way that demonstrates
how the knowledge being learnt
is genuinely useful.

Learners are more prepared

to learn something that
they can use.
 Simulations are teaching activities in
which learners are placed in an artificial
situation

for instance, as shoppers – that

intentionally imitates a real-life situation
Simulatin – for instance, shopping
g real-life
situations
Board games are an ideal form of
simulation to use in large classes: they
allow for individual and small group work,
and keep learners in their desks, which
most other role-play/simulation does not
Making abstract ideas more
'visible' and concrete
 Organize visits to museums, art galleries,
factories, and so on.
 Visits are difficult to organize.
 Popular print media allow learners to visit
places vicariously:
- they can do so by being given the opportunity
to 'see‘ strange places, people and things
through the use in teaching of good television
documentaries.
 Using photographs
Good photographs

evoke learner interest.

give a potentially abstract topic meaning by allowing learners

visual access to the 'real-life' context that the topic addresses.

evoke deep emotions and offer a number of possible

interpretations.

help teachers bring the outside world into classrooms in a

highly visual way: they are a way to 'travel' without leaving
the class.
Specialist magazines

 Specialist magazines offer a great deal more to

teachers.
- National Geographic has become world-
renowned because of its high quality fold-out
maps as well as its beautiful photographs.
- Newspapers and magazines use lively and
attractive diagrams and statistics to
illustrate their articles.
Learners using print media
'Knowledge maps': Using wall
maps to develop a 'visual'
understanding of the world
 We should develop lifelong learners.
 One way to achieve this is to develop classroom
environments that are vital and alive: that
demonstrate a culture of learning.
 A way of doing this is to link different topics
taught in a learning area – or even across
learning areas – through an ongoing learner-
maintained classroom 'exhibition‘.
 This is called a 'knowledge map'.
Developing reading skills

 Reading and information literacy are becoming

the skills essential for success in learning, work and
life.
 Learners can only learn the skills of reading by
reading!
 Language teachers who work alone will never
develop in learners the level of language
competence required.
 Reading must become a cross-curricular activity.
 Teachers need to create an atmosphere in class that
encourages reading at school and at home.
 This becomes possible if teachers use more print-
based media in their teaching.
Developing a reading
culture
 Make newspaper reading a part of
everyday life.
 Make sure newspapers are always
available to the learners in your
class.
 Establish a reading corner in your
classroom.
 Make reading a conscious part of your
teaching strategy.
Learners studying outside the classroom environment
Developing a culture of reading in the classroom
SELF-STUDY
THOROUGHLY READ THROUGH FROM
PAGES 66-88

1 2
Developing Developing
reading skills writing and
[Newspaper speaking skills.
‘hunts’]
Newspaper 'hunts': Learning to
skim, scan and select
information

 Newspaper 'hunts' are games learners can play

to familiarize themselves with newspaper
formats, at the same time as improving their
reading habits and speed.
Developing a writing
culture
 Developing a culture of writing builds on these
beliefs:
- It draws on and validates learner experiences
by asking learners to record these in a
published form.
- It draws on the popularity among learners of
popular media formats by using these as the
form through which writing is done.
- It demonstrates that learners should write well
because this increases the enjoyment readers
get from a well-written article,.
Developing writing and speaking
skills by producing and
publishing newspapers
 Develop a classroom-based wall newspaper.
 Newspaper production develops.
- selection skills as they decide on the content of
their newspapers;
- interviewing skills as they gather information for
their reports;
- writing skills – especially the use of direct and
reported speech – as they write up their reports;
- an ability to recognize and correct language
errors as they sub-edit their reports;
- an understanding of how language competence
has practical benefits.
ENOUGH FOR
THE DAY…

 Thank you for your

time.