ELTWeekly Vol. 3 Issue#99 | September 26 | ISSN 0975-3036

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Ms. Anisha is M.Phil. (ELT), M.A., B.Ed. and has worked as a lecturer in S.D. Girls College, Hansi. Her interest in stylistics and Indian religious poetry has given recourse to undertake it as a topic for Ph.D. Consequently, she is pursuing research in Applied Linguistics at BPS Women University, Khanpur Kalan, Distt. Sonipat (Haryana) under the able supervision of Dr. Amrita Sharma.

Newspapers are valuable but often less utilized as a classroom resource. There is a breadth of coverage in them and they are linguistically topical and up-to-date. This is an interesting aid to teach English language.

Newspapers have become a part and parcel of modern life. They wield a tremendous power in moulding the public opinion. They have become a powerful means of bringing about reforms in the social structure and also causing an impact on government policy. Newspapers bring us news of all kinds. We can read a newspaper because we have a general competence of a language. But can this process be reversed i.e. can English be taught with the help of a newspaper? Yes, it is quite possible. We can use the language written by experts in the newspapers to teach and improve language.

Although pieces of news, articles, letters to the Editor and all other printed items can be used to teach English but since advertisements draw attention of the learners and readers, they can be an interesting means of teaching English. Use of the mass media as a teaching instrument in the classroom has increased considerably at all grade levels in the past few years. Newspapers have been used in the U.S.A. and U.K. classrooms for many years and have proven their worth as an educational tool for teaching English. So why not in India! Recently in India, English teachers also seem to be conscious for using them in teaching. Teaching through newspapers is effective because they motivate content learning and develop language skills.

Newspapers are used worldwide in education because they are a clean print resource that can be marked, cut, pasted, discarded, and then replaced the next day. It is also the only text that most of the students may continue reading throughout their lives because they are economical as compared to books and all inclusive. In fact, the newspapers are a flexible and adaptable learning resource that can be used effectively in almost all subjects and in any instructional situation. Newspapers are much more current than course books as they make an excellent springboard for lessons, and they feature different types of language (narratives, stories, problem-page letters, advertising, reports, weather forecasting, horoscopes, spiritual nuggets, book reviews, etc.). (more…)