PBS NewsHour Classroom

PBS NewsHour Classroom seems to be such a great tool for students and teachers to use, especially in relation to social studies classes. The website provides a multitude of ways for both students and teachers to remain informed on the current events that are happening throughout the world. Once on the website, hundreds of "Daily News Lessons" become available, in which students can watch news videos covering history, politics, geography, and other related topics. Some news stories involve discussing the events between Israel and Palestine, the 2024 presidential election, Native American culture, and the economy. Similarly, there is also a section on the website entitled "Lesson Plans." Under this section, teachers are provided with specific lesson plans for implementing current events within the classroom. For example, one lesson plan focuses on the Wampanoag people, and it provides related images, articles, and critical thinking questions that discuss and debate the challenges that the Wampanoag people have faced since European colonialism began. Overall, I really appreciate the wide scope of news stories and topics that PBS NewsHour Classroom discusses and brings attention to. Ultimately, students serve as the future of the country, and the world around us. As educators, it is an essential goal to ensure that students understand the history and policies that shape the ways that the world, governments, and societies function. Analyzing and discussing current events ultimately allows for students to become more knowledgable on areas of the world or political issues that they might have little to no exposure to. News stories invite students to see the different sides, nuances, and arguments regarding a specific topic, and it allows them to learn how to examine the evidence and facts and form their own opinions and ideas. Simultaneously, news stories serve as tremendous ways for students to become more involved in their communities and the world around us. By understanding the struggles or challenges that people in societies face, whether it is related to health, the economy, or any other topic, students can ultimately be provided with the necessary skills of research, critical thinking, analysis, and discussion to be able to advocate for specific issues and become more politically active and civically engaged individuals that are informed about the issues that affect themselves and other people. By providing students with opportunities to gain greater insight about the world and the politics around us, students will ultimately become compassionate, empathetic, and passionate individuals, that fight for justice and equity and contribute to the greater good of society. Thus, PBS NewsHour Classroom simply provides students with opportunities to become more engaged and understanding of themselves, the world, and other people. Simultaneously, it encourages teachers to become more open with introducing real world issues and topics within the classroom in order for students to develop the necessary skills needed to become more informed and engaged citizens in the future.
Additionally, I like how PBS NewsHour challenges students to really engage with the materials discussed in their news stories. Under each "Daily News Lesson," students can watch news videos related to a specific topic, or read the video's transcript, and then answer a list of questions provided. Some of these questions are comprehension based, as their answers are reflected in the videos that they watch. However, other questions try to dig deeper, and ask students to provide their own thoughts and opinions regarding a topic. For example, one "Daily News Lesson" entitled "Fast Fashion's environmental and human costs" specifically asks the audience to express their opinions on the following question: "Do you think it's fair to hold influencers accountable for the actions of the brands they promote, or should the focus primarily be on the brands themselves?" By providing these questions for students, it really challenges them to consider who these issues affect, whose livelihoods are at stake, and what the most ethical and moral actions would be. This ultimately creates more knowledgeable and informed students, as it causes students to have to develop opinions or arguments and back them up with reasonings and explanations. I also appreciate how the website appeals to a wide variety of learners. Given that certain students excel in certain subjects, while others might excel in another subject, there are sections on the website specifically dedicated to a wide array of fields, including news stories and resources related to STEM and the arts. Simultaneously, the website also provides teachers with the necessary training to engage with certain topics. Some news stories are very violent, emotional, troubling, and convoluted. As a result, some teachers and educators might not feel comfortable with teaching or discussing these stories with their students, as they might not feel they are qualified to really provide any context or discussion related to these topics. However, PBS NewsHour Classroom specifically has a section entitled "Classroom Voices," which includes videos and resources for educators to watch and consider, that are specifically tied to teaching about highly controversial and emotional political issues. As a teacher, this is such a great resource to have, as it ensures that misinformation and biases are not being spread.
One critique that I have is that most of the "Daily News Lessons" appear to be mainly in video formats. While it is important to provide students with various forms of multimedia learning, such as videos, I do think that the website could also benefit from the inclusion of more news articles. By doing so, it could allow students to develop many important skills, such as properly writing answers to questions, forming arguments, synthesizing material, and providing evidence for their claims. Also, when you click on the PBS NewsHour section, it does actually lead to some news articles from various sources for students to read, as well as additional news story videos, but some students might not realize that clicking on this section leads to these articles and stories. Thus, maybe explaining that this section exists to students on some part of the website could allow for a greater sense of accessibility. Other than these minor critiques, I ultimately found the PBS NewsHour Classroom to be a highly effective resource that creates more informed students and teachers, provides lessons and discussions for engaging with current event topics, and challenges students to really develop their critical thinking and analytical skills.