Turning news into civic engagement in the classroom

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Mionsonraí an chúrsa

This course helps you turn these challenges into learning opportunities to develop your students’ media literacy and critical thinking skills. Together, we will explore how news is made and framed, how to recognise and address disinformation and bias, and how to turn the current events found in the media into opportunities for meaningful civic participation.

From the very first sections, you will apply what you learn through simple activities that build confidence and can be brought straight into your classroom. You will work with other educators in a supportive environment, sharing ideas, testing practical strategies and building confidence in your own context.

By the end, you will feel equipped to guide your students not only to understand the media they consume, but engage with it critically and act as informed, responsible citizens.


The course is offered by the European School Education Platform. Visit our website for more information.

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with the course support.

Duration and workload

Start date: Monday 4 May 2026

End date: Wednesday 20 May 2026

Duration: 2 weeks

Workload: 8-10 hours


Course competences

The course content and activities have been mapped against the competences defined by the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators and the SELFIE for TEACHERs tool. Once ready, these competences will be displayed here.

For more information about the competences and associated proficiency levels see the SELFIE for TEACHERs toolkit.

An spriocphobal

This course is designed for teachers who are interested in media literacy, critical thinking, and civic education. Other educators, school leaders, and policymakers may also find it valuable.

Cuspóirí foghlama

  • Improve understanding and acquire new methods and instruments on how to recognise bias, disinformation, and misinformation, by using simple verification steps to check media content.
  • Differentiate types of media and explain how news is produced and framed, how algorithms and AI influence what we see online and help students understand these influences.
  • Facilitate informed classroom discussions on current events and create a classroom environment where students feel safe to think critically and discuss media topics with respect.
  • Design learning activities that foster critical thinking and ethical digital citizenship.
  • Develop and implement a classroom-based civic engagement project linked to current events by designing a structured civic action toolkit using AI as a thinking partner and peer feedback.

Arna thairiscint ag

This content is offered by the European Commission. The European Commission is the European Union's politically independent executive arm. It is alone responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation, and it implements the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.

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Sceideal

  1. How this course works
  2. Module 1: Understanding the news
  3. Module 2: Making engagement possible
  4. Module 3: Time for action!
  5. Final activity
  6. Certificate of completion

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