Denise Reid, Freelance Writer

Herbert Morrison Technical High School teachers Nodley Wright and Sashauna Gardner formulate questions based on publications of The Gleaner at a Newspapers In Education seminar held at the Gleaner Company's Western Bureau, in Montego Bay, St James, last Friday. - Photo by Denise Reid

WESTERN BUREAU:

Teachers in western Jamaica are suggesting that some of the material being used for exams is irrelevant to students' daily experiences.

This was a view put forward during a Newspaper In Education seminar, held at The Gleaner's Western Bureau in Montego Bay, St James, on Friday.

Using current publications of The Gleaner, programme facilitator Norma Rochester delved into a myriad of topics that students encounter in their curriculum and are prevalent in examinations.

Exploring advertisements, many teachers agreed that, as presented in examinations, they are not a proper representation of what those students encounter on a daily basis. Therefore, they opined, the examination councils ought to revise that aspect of examinations.

Not student-friendly

The teachers argued that examinations need to be more student-friendly and that the advertisements used in exams should be more reminiscent of the advertisements that are actually placed in newspapers.

"Ads (as presented in examinations) are too wordy as opposed to actual ads (that appear in the paper), so it is not relevant to modern media or the student's reality," said English language, literature and communication studies teacher at Cornwall College, Brigette Lecky.

Using opinion editorials, cartoons, current and controversial stories, the teachers focused on a number of issues such as the development of ideas using evidence. According to Rochester, the main emphasis was placed on skills such as "how perception is coloured by different situations such as race and background".

The Newspapers in Education seminars have been ongoing since 1987.

"The results are great, students are more motivated, the use of newspapers adds fun and excitement to classes, opens students' curiosity to learn and enhances their thinking skills," said Rochester. She added that timelines and relevance of current issues, as well as newspapers' inexpensiveness, give teachers an advantage when working with newspapers.