current events
The monitoring, examination and analysis of the major events of our time is an excellent multi-disciplinary tool for learning. Through this sustained practice, students are able to place themselves in the unfolding history of our time, which is a key experience in adolescent development. Additionally, it generally leads to a greater understanding of the importance of impactful events and of our own individual choices.
Through more than a decade of practice and experimentation, we have noted several important traits of this practice. For example, when we assist students in understanding the magnitude of each event covered in the news, the process of discovery becomes an exciting pursuit- one in which history, economics, politics, or environmental science become relevant, interesting, and exciting.
Media literacy is another vital component of our current events curriculum. We assist students in discerning the value of information obtained from news sources, by analyzing the practice of journalism, media bias and conglomeration, fact-checking, critical thinking, and placement in historical or technical context.
Furthermore, we believe that teachers should study these events alongside our students, with an open and curious mind, and exemplify the elasticity of thought that we believe to be most effective for learning and creativity.
We offer tools to gauge and value information, but we do not offer advocacy for any political tendency, ideology, religion, or nationality.
We do not dictate perspectives, but rather offer information on as many perspectives as we can.
We believe students have the ability to help themselves and others learn, and that their opinions are valid contributions to understanding and analysis.
We believe that each student has the ability to form their own opinion, regardless of age or skill level, and that it is our duty as educators to provide the tools to discern their values. Conversely, it also our duty as educators to provide an environment of openness in which our own opinions do not override important questions from our students, or in which we indirectly point to our opinion as the most valid.
Please email admin@twodecades.com to learn more.