Seminar educates about newspapers as tools
Region 9 teams up with the Times Record News
July 28, 2008
Newspapers can play a role in the education of children even before they’re able to read, and that can continue all the way through their education, said Dr. Len Breen, who teaches reading and language arts at Sam Houston State University.
Breen was this year’s speaker at the annual Newspapers in Education seminar, which takes place at the Region 9 Education Service Center. Region 9 teams up with the Times Record News to present this program, which is a popular one. Many years, teachers find themselves on a waiting list for the seminar, and there was a list this year, Region 9 Administrative Assistant Barbara Seigler said.
The TRN brings in the speaker for the session and provides materials for the teachers to use.
Children who don’t know yet how to read or who are just beginning readers can learn their letters by exploring newspapers for them, Breen said. They can cut them out, and, for example, see that an “a” in the front section looks just like an “a” in the sports section.
When it comes to students in older grades, the newspapers play a role in getting them thinking.
Newspapers in Education is an important thing, TRN Circulation Director Donald Boyd said. NIE teaches this seminar to help teachers better understand newspapers’ role in helping students learn to read. They help them learn about the world as it is, as opposed to learning only the world of a textbook, he said.
“It’s vital that our students learn to read and understand the world,” Boyd said. These children are the leaders and decision makers of tomorrow.
The teachers get credit for attending this seminar, said TRN Circulation Marketing Manager Carla Dowlen. Dowlen emphasized the importance of the donations that contribute to this program. It wouldn’t be possible without them, she said.
She does the fundraising that brings in the donations, and Boyd said the contributions fund 80 to 90 percent of the newspapers that go to the schools.
Breen’s message Saturday had two major parts. First, he talked with the teachers about what a newspaper is, how it’s put together, and what’s in a newspaper and what is not.
Secondly, he delved into ways they can use them.
“If it’s math, you can use a newspaper,” he said. It’s also true with maps and social studies.
“If it’s science, you can use a newspaper,” he said.
No matter what the subject is, a newspaper can play a role, he said, encouraging the educators to use them in any field of study.
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