Developing the skills of listening and talking within the classroom, whilst increasing an awareness of current affairs, seems only natural.
To be considered Global Citizens, I strongly believe that learners need to have an awareness and appreciation of what is going on around them, encouraging critical thinking. One way to extract their opinions is the use of current affairs within the news. Resources such as Newsround and The Daily What are excellent ways of engaging learners in dialogue about what is going on around them.
Through co-operative strategies – using listening/summarizing as a core focus – learners can give their opinions on current affairs, whilst learning to respect the differing opinions of others.
Want to extend the use of current affairs into writing? Why not teach learners how to write a critical response to a topic/statement, developing their research skills.
e.g- Nuclear Power is the energy resource of the future.