Opinionated Editorial

“G

ive a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”[footnoteRef:1] This quote embodies the strategy that back It is a common belief in education that employing activity-based learning with core competency subjects reinforces skills that are learned in the classroom. Using extracurricular activities and elective courses is a common method of completing this task. Students could greatly benefit from the implementation of a journalism curriculum that integrates disciplines that encourage the development of skills that can be used in multiple subjects. [1: Anonymous.]

As the world changes and becomes more technologically advanced, it is important to create courses and extracurricular activities that enable students to gain skills that can be used in the future. Teachers are charged with the duty of preparing the whole student for the world that awaits them; however, that task can prove to be unbearably challenging when students are unmotivated, detached, and bored with their curriculums. One of the most effective methods of creating engaging educational environments is to give students an activity to they are interested in and enthusiastic about. Showing them ways their curriculum can be actively used will motivate them to be more active in their own education.

Research, writing, computer skills, and information processing are useful, relevant skills that journalism can integrate that can also be implemented in any undergraduate major or career field.[footnoteRef:2] Often times in public education, teachers only focus on the material that is being tested by the state’s department of education.[footnoteRef:3] While this information is important and creates a well-rounded curriculum that provides a general knowledge base, public education must go past basic knowledge. As for reading and writing, these are skills that are necessary for the understanding of all other subjects. Furthermore, it is critical to adult life to not only be literate, but to be competent in problem solving and decision making. Journalism would create the opportunity for these skills to develop in a less standardized fashion. In the case of Mississippi, the tenth grade English II State Test creates the unfortunate circumstances that lead to students becoming stagnant in the development of their reading and writing abilities. Therefore, it is vital to provide a constructive way for them to keep developing. [2: Meza, Radu. "Computational Thinking and Journalism Education." Singla, Carles, Irene Da Rocha and Xavier and Ramon. Shaping the Future of News Media. Barcelona: Integrated Journalism of Europe, 2016. 179-206. Book.] [3: Maksl, Adam, et al. "The Usefulness of a News Media Literacy Measure in Evaluating a News Literacy Curriculum." Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, Col. 72(2) (2017): 228-241. Online.]

Many orthodox, traditionalists in education will assert that Mississippi public schools should only focus on core subjects, considering the fact that the state has consistently been ranked in the bottom three for education quality in the nation.[footnoteRef:4] However, it is my belief that implementing a journalism curriculum, and other elective courses that have cross-discipline skills, will propel the state up the list and increase knowledge retention in the classroom. [4: Koch, Mitchell. “Mississippi named third worst state in U.S. News report” 2019. May 14. https://wreg.com/2019/05/14/mississippi-named-third-worst-state-in-u-s-in-2019/.]

Students’ development potential is endless when schools and teachers are dedicated to increasing the knowledge base that they provide for their students. By incorporating a curriculum as useful and versatile as data journalism, it will only increase the opportunities that are available to students; and it also gives them greater outlooks in their college and career pursuits. The reality that legislators, school officials, and teachers must accept is that students will only retain what they find useful. Therefore, giving them examples of the usefulness of their core curriculum will encourage them to treat their education like journey and not a destination.