Note: Written with teaching in mind, ths advice would apply equally to other professions and occupations.

There is a deep and abiding interest in matters of an educational nature. Increasingly print, radio, and television coverage refer to academic issues. Some people pay little attention to what is being reported about education because they feel it is inconsequential. There is also a belief that what is reported misconstrues facts. That, to some extent, may be the case; however, it is vital to be aware of the way education is trending within the community.

Retaining information about education can be helpful. There are various ways and means of doing this, but it works best if collation is organised regularly (almost daily).

Newspaper items can be clipped and pasted in a loose-leaf file, indexed book, or similar. Indexation is essential as it allows you to refer to things you may need to recall quickly.

Photographing news clippings using an iPhone or iPad, saving them to your pictures file, and then creating an album for clippings is another method that works well.

Scanning clippings and saving them onto a USB stick is a method that works well. Again, indexing the USB file helps. You may choose categories to index under rather than an “A” to “Z” approach.

Clippings files can be backed up on iCloud or saved onto a computer or USB.

From experience, the use of newspaper clippings regarding social and cultural education, general knowledge and stimulating discussion in class are but three ways this information can help. Clippings can also facilitate the content of debates, the writing of persuasive arguments for older students and so on.

Awareness of issues can promote professional discourse, including helping to shape how members of staff develop collaborative programming to support the teaching of current affairs and civic matters in schools.

Teachers would find a study of media and establishing a clippings file valuable and worthwhile.