by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: May 05, 2009   Last Updated: May 10, 2009

Students in their teens are ideal candidates to learn the skills employed in journalism hand in hand with the life skills of adolescence. Since many colleges and schools have publications which are written, edited and printed, the school or college is the ideal environment in which to learn the skills involved in being a journalist. Teaching teens to use these skills is exceptionally helpful to their overall education since what they learn in how to balance information with common sense reporting, to produce good quality copy of interest to readers.

*Setting assignments.

*Teaching students to gather data and take notes.

*Backing up that data with factual and reliable sources.

*Adapting a style which works for the publication.

*Teaching students alternative ways to present their work

*Teaching students the ethics behind journalism styles and presentation.

*Teaching students to lay out their work correctly.

*Evolving different methods to fit different interests.

Setting assignments.

Within the classroom or home-schooling environment, assignments can be set which work hand in hand with school curriculum, outside school or leisure activities of the teen in question. In order to establish some kind of enthusiasm in a teen, the project subject should be sufficiently stimulating to motivate them, though also sufficiently challenging to channel their energies into research which adds to the information that student uses within their written project essay or article.

Teaching students to gather data and take notes.

Give the teen student ideas of where data can be gleaned which will support and enhance their reporting skills. It isn't sufficient to simply write an essay. Learning about all aspects of the subject at hand allows the student to learn correct presentation based on unbiased information. What this also does is allow a student to see that there are many angles which can be used to produce written work which would start them off on the journey through journalism, and set a good background for their future.

Gathering data can take all kinds of forms. Libraries and the Internet can become part of the study, and students should be asked to keep notes of ideas they feel worthy of reporting, as they gather information they feel will strengthen their work. The depth of an article will always depend upon the market towards which it is aimed. Showing a student a typical magazine layout helps them to decide the depth of the article required.

The market

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>