Classroom management - just mention these words and visions of discipline problems creep into your mind. However, classroom management doesn’t mean just discipline. To me classroom management for adult learners is the ability to keep everyone in your classroom interested in the subject being worked on without alienating anyone. How can this be accomplished when you have all grade levels in the session?

I have incorporated newspapers into my lesson plans. I have found by starting out a class session with everyone reading the newspaper it keeps the students focused no matter their age or grade level. The reading of the newspaper is not the lesson, what transpires from reading the newspaper is the lesson.

The social studies portion of the GED would be a natural subject for incorporating the newspapers; however, reading, writing, math and science are also discussed. We do not read the local newspaper. “The New York Times” and “USA Today” papers are handed out free on the campus where I work. I use these papers because we live in a small town and the local paper doesn’t carry any of the national or international news. Also, by using a national paper, students get a different slant on what is happening around them.

Students are allowed to read whatever article they want to. Many of my students read more than one article while waiting for the others to finish. While they are writing I ask them to jot down notes for discussion later. When I first started this exercise the students were unsure as to what they were to do and they were skeptical. Who ever heard of reading a newspaper in class in order to study for the GED test? They now look forward to the newspapers and miss them when they are not available.

By allowing the students to read whatever interests them, I’m not pigeon-holing them into reading just news. They can read sports, entertainment or even the editorials and letters to the editors. When students read what is interesting to them we end up having great discussions not only on current events but also on errors they may have found while reading. We end up editing the articles and the letters – a writing lesson is born.

The discussion that follows usually ends up talking about why a ruling was made by a set of judges or why President Bush said what he said. When we start talking politics I then begin to ask them if they voted in the last elections. We start talking about our electoral system, which automatically leads us into the Florida elections of 2000, then I pull out the political cartoons regarding voting in Florida. Without knowing it the students have not only studied what is currently happening, but also what has happened with our system and how “they” could help by voting. We have even had discussions on the next presidential election and if a woman could run which women would be able to run and get the most votes – my students have agreed it will be either Hillary Clinton or Condoleezza Rice.

Some of you might wonder how reading sports or entertainment can be incorporated into a lesson plan to help students with the GED. When reading a sports article I try to turn the discussion to a specific player or team depending on the sport. When NHL was having contract talks we discussed negotiations and contacts. When it is football season we discuss the players and their actions on and off the field. When discussing entertainment I usually am able to turn the conversation around to money and what are the entertainers making, are they in charge of their money, who benefits from their success? I have found that by using these techniques I keep not only the 17-year-olds interested in current events but also the 50-60 year old group.

Several of my students are ESL crossovers and these students always present a challenge in regards to keeping them interested in the classes in order to continue for their GED. Their level of comprehension is not as high as with the other students but I found these students enjoy the newspaper lessons just as well. I have one student from the Ukraine who at first would read and use the newspaper to develop her English. Now she fully participates in the discussions and gives us her impressions of our government as compared to hers. This has been a real growing experience not only for her but for the rest of my students, most of whom have never been more than 60 miles from where they were born and raised.

I am a first year instructor and I was really worried about controlling the classroom when you have a diverse group of students. In addition to being a first year instructor I am not a teacher by profession and really wanted to know how to get the attention of my students and keep them interested throughout the session. The newspapers do this. I know several other instructors use newspapers in their classrooms for instructional purposes; however, I truly believe using the newspapers not only teaches lessons in all five areas of the GED, but it also lets the students know what is happening in the world and maintains the classroom management needed to continue with other lessons.

After a 20 year break in her education and having raised her family, Marie Paiz went back to school to obtain her degree. Upon completion and with a desire to help others she began working with the Adult Education Department of Seguin ISD, Seguin, Texas. Marie received her Bachelor’s degree in History from Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas.