How to benefit from news discussion lessons

My News Discussion lesson is popular among high-intermediate to advanced students. It is a good way to practice expressing your opinion in English, and it is my favorite type of lesson. I have an opportunity to read news articles that I wouldn't normally read.

So, how do you maximize the benefits from the news discussion lesson? Here are some tips.

If you are selecting the articles yourself, please bear in mind the following points:

First of all, pick a topic that interests you. Don't randomly select an article just because it pops up on your news alert app. Make sure you understand the content. If there is anything that you don't understand about the article, you can ask me before the lesson.

I usually send discussion questions before the lesson. If you select the articles, I always ask why you chose them. It is for your own benefit to think about why you selected them. For example, you may be interested in the topic or concerned about the issue, and you should elaborate on this.

For example, if you pick an article about the benefits of yoga, a good answer to "why did you select this article?" would be:

"I am interested in fitness and health, and I recently started doing yoga. I have seen an improvement in my physical and mental health, so today I chose this article."

A not-so-good answer would be: "Ah, well, it is the most recent article on this website."

A bad answer would be, "I don't know.."

Another question I like to ask is "What do you think of this situation?" There is no right or wrong answer, and you don't need to be shy about what you think. The objective of this lesson is to practice speaking English, and I encourage you to speak as much as you can. Whatever you say is between you and me, so express your opinion freely.

When you select the article, ask yourself what you think of the topic or situation. If you don't have an opinion, then it is probably not the right article for you. Find an article that you can talk a lot about.