Understanding the past by looking to the present: The benefits of integrating current events in the history classroom

Any successful history education is meant to help equip students with the critical thinking skills needed to make sense of their present world through lessons from the past. However, this can get lost in translation when students are left feeling alienated from the content they are exposed to in the Social Studies classroom. What happens if we practice giving students a framework to apply historical thinking to present situations? This self-study research project examines the impact of integrating current events into the curriculum of four different Freshman year World History classes at a large urban high school. Data was gathered through student surveys, class discussions, and student work. Additionally, educational databases were mined to create a comprehensive literature review that compiled existing scholarship on the integration of current events and provide a theoretical framework built around the importance of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) The literature review and research findings aim to show that the inclusion of contemporary issues does in fact foster student engagement and a more relevant learning experience. Additionally, contextualizing historical content with modern parallels will hopefully improve student comprehension and encourage students to become informed citizens.