University of Massachusetts Amherst: Maloy and Trust Publish Article on Engaging with Current Events in the Classroom

College of Education faculty Bob Maloy, senior lecturer II, and Torrey Trust, associate professor of teacher education and curriculum studies, have published an article about how to help students meaningfully engage with current events in history and social studies classrooms.

“Exploring Current Events through Civic Engagement Questions and Activities” suggests that educators must identify issues that are relevant to learners yet not so controversial that they limit productive discussion. Maloy and Trust suggest that students must be presented with opportunities to respond and act upon the problems they examine.

They write, “Knowing about, and making sense of, current events is an essential foundation for students’ local, national, and global lives.”

The authors outline their methodology of “Investigate, Uncover, Engage” to illustrate how they have previously engaged students in their own classrooms to make connections to civic life and responsibilities.


As students consider multiple perspectives on different issues, develop their own solutions, and envision actions they can take to make their voices heard, they “feel empowered and involved, building essential skills and informed understandings for their place as active members of our democracy.”