Topical Talk provides teachers with free teaching resources for weekly classroom discussions on current affairs. The activities help make the news accessible and engaging for learners aged 10–16. They are created by a team of teachers in collaboration with journalists and fact-checkers at The Economist.
Creating these educational resources can be difficult because the topics are time-sensitive and must go through a strict editorial review. I assist in producing worksheets, presentations, and additional digital materials that support the content.
Topical Talk lesson explainer video
The Big Mac index
Future Foods: what will be on our plate?
Tuvalu: a digital country?
Ocean conservation: Iceland's whaling licence
Robotaxis: the future of mobility?
Should prisoner swaps be allowed?
How could countries budget their money?
People on the move: how climate change impacts lives
International Women's Day: give to gain
Social media bans: what do the numbers say?
Lowering the voting age
How powerful is your passport?
Kashmir: who owns water?
Refugees and internally-displaced people
Elon Musk: money, power and influence
AI and sustainability: difficult choices
Black History Month: celebrating black innovation
A citizen of nowhere
The decline of democracy?
Engineering a positive future
German election: big questions
Celebrities in the news: the accused?
Should people be encouraged to have more children?
Should social media be banned for under-16s?
Should fast fashion be banned?
The Enhanced Games: are they fair?
Wildfires: prevention v management
The 15-minute city: a new urban design
Taylor Swift: pop stars and influence
Prison reforms: what should be done?
War and power: the Israel-Iran conflict
Can coups ever be justified?
Gen Z: how powerful are they?
Educational videos
I create videos and animations to accompany the educational resources and support the lessons. Below are some examples taken from the Topical Talk Headlines.
