There are two parts to Topical Talk:
Topical Talk Resources
Free teaching resources for students aged 10 to 16 that enable weekly classroom discussions about the news. These are designed by our team of experienced teachers working with journalists and fact-checkers at The Economist.
Headlines cover a different news story each week and Special Editions explore a news issue in depth over six lessons.
Topical Talk Festivals
Topical Talk Festivals are annual, ten-week global discussions between schools and leading topic experts on the top news stories and issues of our time. Each Festival is packed with inspiring activities, online events and awards for thoughtful conversations and ideas.
About Topical Talk
Our programme offers the most impactful, exciting opportunities to students. As a teacher, you'll have deeply rewarding teaching experiences and be able to invest in your development as a transformative educator.
Skills
All lessons develop speaking, listening, problem-solving and communication skills. These form part of the Skills Builder Universal Framework. Topical Talk has a proven impact on students' skill development.
Content you can trust
Our resources are produced by trained, experienced teachers, with guidance and support from Economist journalists. You can trust our content to be accurate, expert-led and objective.
About us
The Economist Educational Foundation (that's us!) is an independent charity that was set up from inside The Economist newspaper. We combine 175 years of journalistic expertise with deep educational know-how and a decade of experience fostering high-quality topical discussions in schools.