How to get primary school pupils glued to the news

It is Monday morning and the news conference is buzzing with ideas. In any regular newsroom you might expect a stream of stories featuring controversy, calamity and catastrophe. But not here. This is a news website with a difference: all the stories, which are generated by student journalists, are aimed at primary-school children aged eight to 12.

Today there are stories about Beyoncé’s tour, the rise of Adele and a quirky take on the Super Bowl featuring cute puppies from animal shelters.

Another story is based on a heart-breaking picture of an Afghan boy playing football wearing a makeshift Lionel Messi jersey made from a plastic shopping bag. The photo has just gone viral and boy is now the proud recipient of a signed jersey from the Argentinian soccer star.

Although there is plenty of soft news, it's not all puppies and pop music. Student journalists do not shy away from harder topics. The controversy over concussion in school sports is on the agenda for this week's news schedule. The search for survivors of an earthquake in Taiwan is another. The latest horror unfolding in Syria is also up for discussion.

The newsroom is run by second-year journalism students at Dublin Institute of Technology. Instead of class-based assignments, they are writing real stories for Clic News, an online news service for young readers in primary schools across Dublin.

It’s part of a collaboration between DIT’s school of media and the institute’s access and civic engagement office. The result is a slickly designed website with breaking stories aimed at engaging children in current affairs and boosting their literacy and computer skills.

Children are encouraged to interact with stories by commenting, giving their own opinions and entering competitions. All their comments are moderated by a small group of volunteers with a teaching background. There are also hard-earned stars and points based on the numbers of comments students make, which can be used in exchange for small prizes such as badges, pens and books.

“The idea is to create somewhere that is safe for them to go, where they can express themselves and where there isn’t any threat of bullying,” says Ian Roller of DIT’s access and civic engagement office. “We try to encourage children to give their opinion on topics. We’ve literally received thousands of comments from children online at this stage.”

Teachers can also download the comments and use them to spark discussion or to improve writing skills.

Once a school signs up to Clic News, the pupils and teachers are given secure access via a password and access code. About 800 primary children across 32 schools are accessing it regularly, and the numbers are rising all the time.

The best part of the week

Ringsend Girls National School regularly uses the site. Teacher Geraldine McCaw says for many pupils it is the highlight of the school week.

“They really like reading and commenting online. They are the kind of stories which reflect their interests. Many of the children here are reading and commenting in their spare time, outside school hours . . . they see it all as relevant and interesting.”

A quick straw poll of the classroom of children’s favourite stories reveals a range of interests ranging from Adele ’s recent Brit awards performance to the Afghan boy who received the jersey from Messi.

For Debbie Maughan (10) the big draw is “swap shop”, where she can get small prizes in exchange for the volume of comments she leaves on stories.

DIT journalism lecturer Michael Foley says the project has also caught the imagination of students providing the news. "They get it immediately. They know what's appropriate. They see it as their responsibility: they put the stories up and they work in it in their spare time."

The work behind the scenes feels like a professional newsroom. They are assigned news shifts; there are deadlines for stories; and stories are often tossed aside as major news events occur.

“It’s good for developing their news values, teamwork and generating ideas,” says Foley. “All the ideas are theirs. There is an overall editor, deputy editor, features, sports and science editor. They check the stories themselves, they put them on the website. They’re aware of the responsibilities involved, and you see them growing up very quickly.”

The journalism students have access to real-time analytics, which allows them to see the type of stories that are generating the biggest reactions. The types of stories that go viral with adults are just as popular with children. The most-commented story last year, for instance, was a wheelchair made for a puppy born with no front legs.

The interest in foreign news and what is happening in conflict zones took them by surprise, however. “It’s a sign of how the country has been changing,” says Foley. “A lot children in schools are from immigrant backgrounds. These are children who know where Syria is and are aware of the conflicts taking place and issues around refugees.”

Sensitive stories

Killian Dowling, the student editor, says dealing with sensitive topics is one of the most challenging parts of the job. “Children are very savvy, they pick up a lot. So you can’t ignore bad news, but you have to approach it differently. Recently, for example, there was a mining accidents and lots of people were killed. In that case we tried to emphasise the fact that many people were also rescued.”

Jenna Cox, another student, says there is also the challenge of providing stories for real-life readers rather than class assignments. “If gives you a taste of real life. You do feel very responsible. And when you see comments from the children on stories you’ve written, it’s a reminder of that.”

For Niamh Geoghegan, a fourth-year student who was previously involved in Clic News, it helped open a door into the world of online publishing. “You would see the stories that resonated with children, so you would try to target that . . . I’m doing a lot of that now in work outside of here.”

Roller, meanwhile, says the positive feedback from schools means they hope the expand the service. “We’ve been growing a steady, solid audience and have been trying to get the model right. Now we’re ready to expand it further still, and bring it to even more schools.”

• clicnews.ie

HEADING OFF-CAMPUS: DIT IN THE COMMUNITY

DIT, like many third-level institutions, is exploring new ways of reaching out and supporting education in the wider community.

Computer training: The college provides a range of computer-training courses for adults who want to learn how to Skype or email. It includes laptops, wireless internet and printers, so courses can be delivered in community settings where there is no internet access.

Foundation courses: Many students from disadvantaged areas can find the step up to third level challenging. DIT runs a one-year, full-time preparation for higher education. Students who successfully complete the programme are guaranteed an offer of one of DIT's CAO undergraduate courses.

Community courses: Community development groups across the inner city have been offered training in areas such as childcare and entrepreneurship for years. The college provides support to these centres through lecturers and students, and by providing a path towards further upskilling at third level.