Keeping with the Times
Posted by Vincent O'HaraThe seventh grade humanities students know what is going on. In fact, as part of their curriculum, each student must read the news and deliver a presentation on a current event to the class. One of the missions of the humanities department is to foster global citizenship, so the 7th-graders are learning geography, the elements of culture, and how often both are present in national and international news coverage. First, the student explores a reliable news source and finds an article that interests them. Once it is approved by the teachers, the student then becomes a pseudo-expert on the matter in preparation for their presentation. Their individual study culminates in demonstrating their knowledge by leading a guided Socratic seminar with their peers. So far, the topics have ranged from social justice in sports to international cyberattacks. The discourse is always civil, and students are encouraged to ask difficult questions and be open-minded. As their teachers, we have been impressed by the seventh graders’ ability to tackle these challenging issues, and we look forward to their continued growth as unafraid members of our global community.
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