Exploring Contemporary Issues
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We have developed post-primary resources that illustrate and promote connected learning across different Areas of Learning, using topical issues as a starting point.
These resources provide a variety of relevant content to stimulate pupils’ thinking and create positive learning experiences.
The flexible, age-appropriate materials cover the following topics:
Black Lives Matter
These teaching and learning activities on Black Lives Matter take a cross-curricular approach, which enables discussion and learning to take place across different Areas of Learning.
This resource illustrates the importance of developing thinking and problem-solving skills. By focusing on a topic that pupils are familiar with, it gives them opportunities to extend their knowledge, understanding and skills.
Global Issues
We have developed these resources to support the curriculum through a connected learning approach to global topics that are suitable for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.
Featuring themes of global interest, these resources provide flexible content that teachers and parents/carers can adapt to support rich teaching and learning activities throughout the year.
The first document below introduces connected learning and provides guidance on how the associated resources can be used.
Living History
This resource features four lessons that encourage pupils to consider the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways and to share their individual experiences. Pupils look at the facts of the pandemic and learn about positive ways of coping with the disruption to our lives.
Designed to be broad in its educational objectives, this resource gives pupils opportunities to develop their research, thinking and debate skills, along with their creativity. It also encourages healthy discussion about:
- feelings;
- the history of pandemics; and
- the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our world, ourselves and our wellbeing.
Through reflection and varied learning activities, this resource allows pupils to make connections across common experience, making it suitable for shared education contexts.
See also our Active Citizenship page, which features activity ideas for exploring citizenship in the context of COVID-19.