Several years ago, I was fortunate to partake in a training from the Korda Institute, specializing in teaching entrepreneurial thinking and 21st century skills. During this training, I learned about their news circle strategy. I love this approach to current events because it engages students to be active and take ownership of their learning. These news circles are naturally interdisciplinary; they can be used in any subject area, not only in Social Studies.

I use active news circles as a regular routine in my classroom. After exploring how to research and find credible, relevant, current, and accurate news, I either request for homework or allocate time to read or watch a news story of their choice; this can be local, national, or international news. Depending on the time of year and theme we are studying, I outline criteria for the current event, such as the story must be related to a theme on energy, urbanism, or plastics, or take place in a specific geographic region. Then, once all the students have finished learning about a current event, we as a class create a circle. I launch the discussion by asking a student to explain their news story. Afterward, I follow up by asking what they found interesting about the story. After the student finishes answering the questions, other students are welcome to join the discussion; students naturally begin to ask questions, share opinions, make meaningful connections, and build upon one another to extend their thinking. As a participant in the circle myself, I look for teachable entry points such as a new concept or historical background information. I love to see my students engaged in their learning; they often connect the concepts we are exploring and uncovering in our lessons and projects to the stories raised. In addition, I can see firsthand the topics that my students are interested in, which helps direct my student-centered teaching. What is exciting about these news circles is that I do not know where they will lead. For example, I had a student follow a story over a term which led to an inquiry project. Another student who adores mathematics helped make mathematical thinking more relevant and accessible for all of my learners.

I should also add that my students are comfortable speaking in public and are eager for their turn to share. As a classroom community, to begin the school year, I facilitate ample activities and lessons to build a sense of community and trust, and most importantly, we co-create what I like to call a brave space. These classroom norms are instinctively present in our news circles.

My students are often assessed on a formative basis. Students can complete a self-assessment or reflection to measure their growth. And through observations and checklists, I often use these circles to assess how my students are performing in many curricular competencies from different subject areas; as my classroom is an interdisciplinary space these circles are an excellent fit.