One of the requirements for my economic class (and when I taught government) is current events on either a weekly or biweekly basis. I think it is important for students to know what is happening in the world and to provide their own commentary on events. I ask them to provide a brief summary of an article they find and then to provide comments or thoughts on the topic.
This act of commenting on events makes them more worldly, but also allows them to express their opinions about topics. I always make sure to leave a space where they can ask questions and try to clarify when possible. Since these students are seniors and many will be 18 by the November elections, it is important to expose them to the issues and get them to think about them. I tell them that it is okay to hold viewpoints, but they need to be able to back it up with why they think that, not just "my parents think that."
Students often make strong connections to what we have studied in class, taking an abstract concept and making it concrete through real world examples. This is when I know they have truly learned something. When they start throwing out terms like supply, demand, opportunity cost, scarcity, etc. in a current event write up, I get a little smile on my face knowing that I have reached them! Critical thinking is such an important skill today and I think having students do current events builds that skill!
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