Teaching Current Affairs

• Current events provide authentic learning

experiences for students at all grade levels.
• Unfolding over time the study of current events
requires that both students and teachers give
special attention to the tentative nature of
information as it becomes available from one or
more resources and with hold conclusions and
decisions until multiple sources and perspectives
are examined.
• In studying current events students are required to
use a range of cognitive, affective, research,
critical thinking, and communication skills.
Importance/Need of current
affairs
• Keep the students up to date
• To prepare the students for tomorrow
• To develop insight into the democratic
process
• To prepare the alert citizen
• To develop interest, attitude and skill among
students
• To develop mental horizon
• To prepare students for better social living
• To integrate the past and the present
Objectives
• To promote interest in current
affairs
• To promote the growth in desirable
skills
• To help in relating school learning
to life outside the school
Criteria to Select Events and Issues

• Education value • Suitability

• Appropriateness • Reliability
• Relevance • Scope
• Available • Utility
information • Notability
• Time availability • Consequences
• Avoid too • Continuity
complex issues
Tools of current affairs:
• Newspaper reading
• Radio listening
• News making
• Local,regional,national,intenational
events
Class Activities for Current Affairs

• Level 1
 Routine report of events with little discussion or
analysis
• Level 2
 Reporting is followed by discussion of the most
interesting points without requiring any critical
analysis
• Level 3
 Using problem-solving and critical thinking skills to
explore the significance of the event or issue by
reviewing supporting facts, considering different
points of view, and collecting additional information
(this level may need a independent unit)
Class Activities for Current Affairs

• Daily sharing period

• Student report on specific events
• Talking Circle on current affairs
• Weekly news reports by each student
• Organizing debates on issues
• Mimicking television/radio newscast by role
playing: anchorperson, news reporter,
editorial commentator, sports reporter, etc.
• Making connections between current affairs
and knowledge learned in textbooks
Current Affairs Benefit Students
• Enhance and enliven instruction
• Reinforce concepts and concept clusters in
various subject areas
• Make connections of past, present, and the
future
• Bridges knowledge to real life outside of
classroom
• Develop ability to appraise the actions and
decisions of policy makers and political leaders
• Practice various thinking skills with concrete
events
• Appreciate multicultural heritages
• They cover a wide range of subjects and connect to all areas of the
curriculum.
• They build language, vocabulary, reading comprehension, critical
thinking, problem solving, oral expression, and listening skills.
• They develop into informed citizens and lifelong news readers. Studying
current events helps students understand the importance of people,
events, and issues in the news; it stimulates students to explore and
learn more about the news, and to pay attention to the news they see
and hear outside of school.
• They provide a “writing model.” Students can learn by imitating the
clear, concise style of news writing.
• They help teachers teach media literacy skills, which are as important
today as any of the three R’s.
• They can open up communication between students and parents.
Students are often eager to emulate their parents’ news-citing behaviors,
and talking about the news is one way for parents to engage kids in
adult conversation.
• They offer ideal opportunities for cooperative-group instruction,
classroom discussions and debates, purposeful follow-up writing, and
much more.