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EDFD6053 (01)

Reading No. 1

January 27, 2003

Hetfield, P. (1994). Using a student newspaper to motivate students with behavior disorders. Teaching Exceptional Children, 26 (2), 6-8.

Summary: Low self-esteem, poor social skills, lack of motivation, and poorly developed academic skills are typical characteristics of adolescent students with behavior disorders. Involving such students with the creation and production of a student newspaper has proven to be an effective treatment strategy for Jamestown, a residential treatment center serving students with behavior disorders who may also be abusing chemicals.

The creation and production of a student newspaper motivates these students because the newspaper is interest-based, fun, group oriented, a creation of the students, and developed with student ideas and student energy. Many of these students also have academic deficiencies. Since the student newspaper becomes very important to these students, they are motivated to become more concerned about grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and vocabulary in order to produce a high-quality product. Work on the newspaper also becomes a self-esteem builder while helping the students develop positive social interaction. They work with peers and other adults in cooperative groups which strengthens their social skills. Most importantly, the major gain for these students is that their new skills and attitudes transfer back to mainstream environments.

Applications: As a vocational business educator, this article provided me with several ideas that I can implement in my classroom. for example: (1) In my entrepreneurship class, I will provide the opportunity for my students to work on projects that they find interesting such as designing, implementing, and operating a business of their own choice. (2) In my word processing class, I will provide the opportunity for my students to design and produce a monthly newsletter about what interests them. (3) In my accounting class, I will provide the opportunity for my students to work in cooperative groups to produce a practice set for a business operating a proprietorship. (4) In my economics class, I will provide the opportunity for my students to set up different economic systems for the country of their own choice.

Each of these projects are motivating and will provide opportunities for my students to gain social skills and academic skills. They will be exposed to ideas and concepts that can be transferred to their future classes and careers.