In October 2020 the World Economic Forum released its most recent research into 300 of the world’s biggest companies. It showed that over 50% expect to speed up their plans for automation because of covid-19. With more robots in the workplace, who will be the winners and losers? Download these resources, supported by the Bank of England, to find out! Use these activities to help answer this question and others about automation: Why are business owners turning to robots? What are the reasons why they shouldn’t? What role might Artificial Intelligence play in the future of work? What kinds of jobs might be better suited to robots? How might automation affect your career plans? How would perspectives differ?

This scheme of work includes everything you need to run six one-hour sessions for key stage 2 or 3 students on the financial system ten years on since the crisis. It was produced by The Economist Educational Foundation, an independent charity set up by The Economist magazine. We combine The Economist’s journalistic know-how with teaching expertise, and we specialise in supporting teachers to facilitate high-quality classroom discussions about the news. As a teacher, do I need to know anything about this topic? Not at all. All the necessary information is provided! What are the objectives? To build students’ knowledge, skills and confidence. STUDENTS WILL… Learn about the financial system, how it affects them, and how people’s decisions determine whether it works well or goes wrong. Build essential critical thinking and communication skills: reasoning, scepticism, curiosity, open-mindedness and storytelling. All the Foundation’s resources are designed to build these skills, as we believe they are essential for the modern world. Develop the confidence to have their say. The six sessions will enable students to make well-informed, sound arguments for their opinions on this important and complex issue. WHAT’S INCLUDED? Multimedia news content Detailed session guides for leading fun, interactive activities – no planning required This scheme of work is supported by the Bank of England. The Economist Educational Foundation maintained full editorial control. The Bank contributed a video resource which explains what banks do, what the Bank of England does, what happened in the financial crisis and what is being done to make banks safer. We would like to thank the Bank for adding this resource and for helping to support our work.

There has been a worrying increase in knife crime with young people being directly affected. Across two 20 minute activities, students will look at some statistics surrounding the issue and explore suggested reasons and solutions. THESE RESOURCES: – Look at the rise of knife crime in the context of general crime – Explore statistics from 2018 – Considers the reasons behind the rise – Structures research into possible solutions Everything is provided to run two short activities for students aged 11 to 16.

This child-led learning resource is perfect for use at home independently, with a sibling or with adult input. The activities helps learners to think about what veganism means for society and lets them explore really interesting questions like: • Why do people choose to be vegan? • What factors are important when people make lifestyle choices? • Is a vegan society a better society? It will help learners to practise the critical-thinking skills which are important for understanding and discussing the news: reasoning, open-mindedness and scepticism, as well as the communication skill, speaking-up.

Is the coronavirus affecting men and women differently? This resource encourages learners to study this question from several angles: from death rates, to the impact of lockdown to numbers on the front line. The activities help learners use evidence to draw their own conclusions and to assess the limits of the available data. Weigh up the evidence on questions like: Is COVID-19 worsening gender inequality? Are women better leaders during a crisis? Does we think hard enough about gender during a pandemic? The reflection activity invites learners to write 100 words about why it’s important to think about gender equality during the current crisis.

This student-led learning activity helps young people to investigate the coronavirus pandemic and explores really interesting questions like: How do we know what information to trust? Why do people do things that they know are wrong? Whose views do we need to see the whole picture? Young people can give this a go on their own, but if there’s someone at home to work with, why not have a go together? You could also connect with someone by telephone or video. We’ll practise some critical-thinking skills which are important for understanding and discussing the news: reasoning, open-mindedness, scepticism and speaking-up.

It’s been 100 years since some women got the vote in the UK. This year, hundreds of famous entertainers have launched a campaign against the harassment of women. The campaign, called ‘Time’s Up’, is a reminder that women are still sometimes mistreated simply because they are female. This 6-session scheme of work explores barriers that women face both in and out of the workplace and asks questions which encourage all genders to consider how they and society are affected by this issue. There is also an additional optional session covering sexual harassment. Use these fully-planned, interactive and multi-media resources to develop your student’s critical thinking and literacy skills and to embed cognitively challenging conversations in your classrooms. If you’d like to find out more, visit burnetnewsclub[dot]com

Coronavirus and wellbeing. Help children reflect on their wellbeing in the current climate and consider how they could help themselves and others. This resource encourages learners to think about how others are coping during the pandemic and the factors that can affect this. Get learners to explore questions like: What kind of things help your wellbeing? How has the coronavirus impacted your mental health? How could you help someone else stay positive during this time? Learners can also find links to further support on mental health.

Published in response to recent events, these resources helps learners to explore questions like: What is prejudice? What does discrimination look like? Whose responsibility is it to end racism? Is racism always obvious? Is treating people equally always fair? Is racism getting worse? This resource includes Advice on managing sensitive conversations with young people. Links to further anti-racism resources for both children and adults. A special piece for older students with thinking questions.

Teachers around the world have expressed concern over a new wave of online misogyny linked to British-American influencer Andrew Tate. What is online misogyny? And what should be done about it? Start the discussion in your classroom and help students explore different opinions people have about misogyny online. Use this one-hour lesson to help your students: Identify the theme of misogyny in news stories Compare different perspectives Discuss solutions to online misogyny