What student has time to read the paper? Really, what student has time to go looking for current news? One of the most valuable pieces of advice I have received from a Prof came from an off the record comment telling us to make our internet browser's home page a news site. I personally have CTV News as the site that comes up every time I open my browser.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/
http://www.ctvnews.ca/
We tend not to think about the connection the News has to our life, to our education, but everything that happens in the world creates a chain of events. Education as a whole is a part of a dynamic social and political system that is changing every day, so why wouldn't it be important for us to keep up to date on our world? This issue was brought to my attention when following a blog found through one of the sakai links. It was a New York Times article 50 Best ways to Teach with Current Events .
The first idea I want to talk about is "News you can Use". Ask any 3rd grader, the news is boring, it's a man or woman on the TV talking about something they don't understand or don't care about. This right there is the fundamental thing we can change. Start by having students list some of their interests, then the fun part comes. In a controlled internet environment we can let their tech savvy little brains find a piece of news that speaks to one of those interests. This is where media and current event literacy comes in. Much of our "current news" comes from a twitter or facebook news feed. While this is great for social upkeep, we can help student learn early where they can find information about current events that are outside of their direct environment.
There are endless ways we can use current events. Writing activities like critically analyzing the story being presented, identifying the POV or comparing and contrasting the same or similar stories from different News outlets. It doesn't just stop at writing, there is the potential for lively debates to enhance critical thinking and public speaking skills. You could do a scavenger hunt, teaching them to navigate all the different news outlets from internet to newspaper to the evening news. The possibilities and modes of delivery in the classroom really are endless.
Burns, M. (2013, May 17). Free iPad Apps to Teach Current Events. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
Gonchar, M. (2014, October 7) 50 Ways to Teach With Current Events. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
Hopkins, G. (2013, October 3). Twenty-Five Great Ideas for Teaching Current Events. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
Great blog, Celeste! The news is definitely something that students have tended not to care about, but I agree that as teachers it is an important responsibility we carry to bring real world issues to life for our students. I love the article you posted about “50 best ways to teach with current events” and I think that’s an awesome resource when trying to figure out how to bring these issues to the surface for our students. I will definitely look back on that as a teacher. Have you ever had a class where your teacher used any of those strategies or activities? I would love to hear more from your personal experience on this topic! I once had a teacher who taught our current events class and all of our assignments had to be based on something going on in the world at that moment. We had to go online or read a newspaper and then report to the class a current event and it was such an easy way to get excited about knowing what’s going on in our world. I really enjoyed reading your blog and it’s given me lots to think about!
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ReplyDeleteGreat topic, it’s modern and I think represents the shift that should be occurring within the classroom and what we as new teachers with newer technology may be able to bring into the classroom, a different style of teaching. Students are no longer just fed information but encouraged to be more involved in the process. Unlike how it was years ago when children were sheltered from current events today we are moving towards a more education, knowledge based approach to such current world events. When I was in grade 8 every morning our teacher would have discussions with us revolving around headlines in the paper she would bring in. It was fun and didn’t stop there, discussions shifted and new events were discussed, sometimes we were able to do journals or assignments based on our morning discussions. It is a great way to get students more involved, motivated and passionate about what they are learning! Like you said let those students pick what interests them! This is definitely an endless learning opportunity for both the students and teachers, working towards creating active global citizens.
ReplyDeleteCeleste, I love the idea of making students aware of what’s going on in the world. It’s important for students to be informed about local and global events as it affects their lives whether they know it or not. They need to be informed about current events as they can learn critical thinking skills by honing their own opinions and becoming more open minded, passionate, and involved in making change. I loved the article you found on the best ways to teach with current events, however, I would have loved to hear some of your personal experiences about it!
ReplyDeleteIn my grade 12 business class we had to write weekly news articles based on current events. This allowed us to gain awareness about international and local issues. Do you think that learning about issues in other parts of the world can bring about better social and cultural understanding to children? Could this lead to a reduction in bullying incidents by being able to gain a different perspective and developing empathy for one another? I believe that being informed about these events will enable children to make connections with their learning to the outside world and become open minded citizens.