At the SPH Education Symposium, school leaders and educators will explore ways to teach using the news. The forum, which includes education and media industry experts, will look at various support systems in place that will allow teachers to use contemporary issues in their classrooms. This includes the types of specific skills that can be honed by using the news in teaching. Teachers from five schools will also showcase innovative lesson plans based on news resources and platforms by The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao.
All of these is part of efforts to incorporate more real-world learning into classroom lessons. Getting learners to stay abreast of the latest news and then discussing their implications on society can hone critical thinking and problem-solving skill, both of which are lifelong skills students should develop. Furthermore, given the amount of time students spend on the internet nowadays, it is also crucial to impart media literacy and analytical skills so that they are able to discern misinformation and disinformation in the online space they frequent.
One of the educators that will be sharing her news-in-education pedagogy is Ms Tan Jie Qi, the subject head of English language at Greendale Secondary School. Ms Tan said that she uses news articles to engage her students before teaching a particular topic, such as inference skills. She said that this helps create “a classroom environment which supports authentic learning, so that students will be engaged in learning and enjoy the lessons”.
In my opinion, this forum is a good initiative for educators to share with each other how best to incorporate the news and current affairs into their lessons. News-in-education complements students’ experiences and allows them to be aware of current affairs at a young age. In addition, they will be able to develop critical thinking skills which are a necessary part of the 21st century competencies that will help students to thrive in today’s fast-changing world.
If you want to read more about the forum and other educators’ experiences, click the following link:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/explore-ways-to-teach-using-the-news-at-sph-forum-for-educators