How I Get Students to Engage with Business in the Real World

Last week on the blog, I shared my first Real World Roundup, a monthly collection of business stories, articles, and videos that teachers and students can use to bring lessons to life. You can check it out here: The Real World Roundup – September

That post ties in perfectly with one of my goals this year: getting students to engage with business in the real world, not just in their notes. Too often, IB Business students get stuck memorizing definitions or focusing only on exam technique without really understanding how businesses operate. I want them to see that the syllabus connects to what they read, watch, and listen to every day.

To help with this, I’ve introduced a new ongoing activity in my IB Business classroom where students find and summarize real-world business content. The catch is that it has to be recent (published within the last six months) and it can’t just come from a quick Google search or AI tool. I tell them I want their discoveries to be organic, things they come across while reading the news, watching YouTube, or listening to a podcast.

Each student has to find one real-world example per unit. The “article” can be written, audio, or video, but they can’t use the same format twice in a row. If their first summary is from a written article, the next one has to be a podcast or video. It pushes them to explore new types of media, and it keeps the task interesting.

There are a few simple requirements: written articles must be at least 500 words, videos at least five minutes, and audio content at least ten. Their summary must be 250–300 words and include three parts: a short recap of the main ideas, a link to what we’re studying in IB Business, and their own opinions or insights. I also provide a rubric for consistency and to keep expectations clear. Here is a picture of the rubric below:

Another nice bonus is that this activity often sparks curiosity for future coursework. Students sometimes discover an issue or company that inspires an IB Business IA topic or even an Extended Essay question later on. It encourages genuine curiosity, not just task completion.

It’s been a few years since I last did these summaries, so I’m curious to see how the rise of AI changes things. My hope is that students still surprise me with thoughtful reflections, unique finds, and genuine engagement with the world of business. If they do, it’s one more way to help them think critically and connect what we’re teaching to the dynamic world of business.