Captivate with Google Trends

Capturing students' attention and arousing their interest is a constant challenge for teachers. At a time when young people are ultra-connected and solicited from all sides(1), it's crucial to offer them content that echoes their concerns and their environment.

How can we use what's trending on the web to build motivating educational projects? That's where Google Trends comes in.

This little-known tool holds tremendous potential for unearthing topics that speak to students. A veritable barometer of Internet users' queries from all over the world, Google Trends can be used to identify emerging themes and current areas of interest.(2) It's a goldmine for designing activities that are in tune with the times, while working on the skills covered in the curriculum. It's just a question of taming the tool and transforming this raw data into inspiring teaching projects...

What is Google Trends?

Google Trends is a free analysis tool from web giant Google. It allows you to visualize the popularity of queries made by Internet users on the search engine, anywhere in the world.

Specifically, Google Trends measures and compares the number of searches made for a given term, at a given time and in a given geographical area. The tool then generates graphs showing the evolution of interest in this query over time(3).

Available data includes

• Search volume, indicated by a curve with values ranging from 0 to 100 (the maximum reached over the period)
• Geographical distribution of searches, displayed on a world map
• The fastest-growing related queries, i.e. those that have experienced the strongest growth
• The most frequent queries linked to the initial term

For example, a search on the term"global warming" unsurprisingly shows a peak during COP26 in November 2021, but also that interest rises sharply each summer during heatwaves. In terms of related queries, questions such as "Which countries are most threatened by global warming?" or "How can global warming be reduced?" emerge (4).

In another concrete example, a search on the keyword "NFT" reveals a curve that takes off at the end of 2021, with strong interest in Asia. Related queries include "how to create NFT" or "what does NFT mean". These are key insights into a very hot topic (5).

Of course, the possibilities offered by Google Trends are endless. It can be used to take the pulse of all kinds of subjects, from the most serious to the most playful. Once this raw material has been collected, it's up to the teacher to turn it into educational gold...

Using Google Trends to identify captivating topics

Now that we've seen what Google Trends is and what data it provides, let's take a look at how we can use it in practice to unearth eye-catching topics for our students.

The first step is to search for trends related to your subject and programs. Taking the example of a history-geography teacher who wants to work on inequalities in the world, typing "inequalities" into Google Trends reveals that interest in the subject is rising sharply, particularly the term "educational inequalities", which has surged in the wake of the COVID crisis and confinements. He also identifies related queries such as "What are the consequences of inequalities?" or "How can social inequalities be reduced?". This provides food for thought on the subject, and leads to questions such as inequalities in access to education, or the impact of inequalities on social cohesion.

Teachers can then refine their research by specifying a geographical area, such as their country or region, to be as close as possible to their students' concerns. They can also look for peaks of interest to identify any links with current events, which will provide a gateway to making the subject more concrete.

Of course, it's important to bear in mind that the trends identified correspond to queries from the general public. So it's important to analyze them in the context of your class and the specific interests of your students, depending on their age. What makes the buzz for high school students is not necessarily what will appeal to schoolchildren! So be sure to cross-reference the "raw" results of Google Trends with your knowledge of your pupils.

Another tip is to dare to think outside the box, and explore themes that might seem far removed from your subject area. By researching trends linked to leisure activities, personalities or events in the news, you'll be able to come up with original, unifying topics. Why not take advantage of the upcoming release of a blockbuster to explore heroes, myths and epics in French lessons? Or use the hype surrounding the latest games console to discuss the environmental impact of digital technology?

The possibilities are endless, as long as you're curious and creative enough to build bridges between the trends you've identified and the concepts on the syllabus. The key is to listen to your students, and to be willing to be surprised. With a little practice, there's no doubt that you'll unearth nuggets that will get the whole class excited about getting to work.

Integrating trends into educational projects

Once you've identified captivating topics using Google Trends, the next step is to turn them into motivating educational projects. The aim is to use students' interests as a starting point for working on the targeted skills, while giving meaning to the learning process.

Take, for example, an SVT (Life and Earth Sciences) teacher who notices a strong interest in the terms"vegetarianism" and"sustainable food". He could launch an interdisciplinary project with his geography colleague on the impact of our eating habits. On the menu: study of diets around the world, reflection on the environmental consequences of intensive livestock farming, experiments on plant proteins, a survey of students' habits... The subject lends itself to a variety of activities, from the most traditional (presentation, debate) to the most original (designing a vegetarian menu for the canteen). It's the perfect way to tackle the concepts of science and technology (food, ecosystems) and geography (world agriculture, sustainable development) in a practical way.

In all subjects

Another approach is to use a character popular with young people as a starting point for learning. This was the gamble taken by a French teacher who decided to devote a sequence to the author of the best-selling "Harry Potter" saga. The aim was to study the workings of the fantasy novel through this seminal work. On the program: reading extracts, studying fantastic characters and creatures, deciphering mythological references... and even a writing workshop to imagine a new adventure! It's a fun way to (re)instill a taste for reading, and to tackle literary concepts.

In the same vein, a language teacher could capitalize on interest in the latest global hits by a Spanish- or English-speaking artist to set up a project based on lyrics, video clips and interviews, providing an opportunity to work on listening comprehension, vocabulary and cultural facts... all based on the students' tastes.

The trends detected on Google Trends can also be used for more specific activities. For example, a "question of the week" linked to a buzz topic to launch a debate in EMC (Moral and Civic Education), a "word of the day" inspired by fashionable queries to enrich vocabulary in French or languages, a mental arithmetic challenge based on search statistics for mathematicians...

Of course, these projects and activities don't replace work on classic works or less trendy subjects. Rather, they are designed to stimulate curiosity and interest, by varying the approach. The idea is to show students that what they learn at school is not something that takes place outside the classroom, but rather is in touch with their environment and their concerns.

By drawing on Google Trends with discernment and creativity, we can imagine innovative educational projects rooted in today's world. It's the perfect way to breathe new life and meaning into learning!

Expected benefits of using Google Trends in the classroom

Beyond the immediate interest aroused by "trendy" subjects, using Google Trends in the classroom has a number of pedagogical benefits.

• First and foremost, using students' interests as a starting point is a powerful lever for stimulating their motivation and commitment.(6) By offering them content that echoes their preoccupations, it's easier to capture their attention. They feel more involved, and are therefore more inclined to invest themselves in the activities on offer. This is particularly true for students who are struggling to find meaning in their learning. By starting with subjects that touch them, it's easier to hook them in and get them involved.
  
  
• But beyond motivation, working on trends helps to develop key skills in students. By analyzing the evolution of research and comparing trends between countries, they sharpen their critical thinking skills. They learn to interpret data, put it into perspective and draw conclusions. This is an essential skill in an age of fake news and all-digital technology.
  
  
• By imagining original projects based on these trends, students also work on their creativity. They're challenged to be inventive when it comes to establishing links between these trendy topics and the concepts on the syllabus. A skill increasingly in demand in the professional world.
  
  
• Last but not least, using Google trends as a starting point anchors learning in today's world. By working on topical issues, students gain a better understanding of how school knowledge is applied in the real world. They make the link between what they learn in class and what they experience in their everyday lives, giving greater meaning to what they learn. It's also a fantastic opportunity to open up the school to the outside world and develop critical thinking skills in the face of a flood of information that's not always reliable.
  
  
• The icing on the cake is that projects inspired by Google trends lend themselves well to an interdisciplinary approach. By combining the viewpoints and skills of several subjects around the same subject, we reinforce the coherence of learning. We show students that knowledge is not compartmentalized but interconnected, reflecting the complexity of the world.

Motivation, creativity, critical thinking, grounding in reality, interdisciplinarity... So many good reasons to let yourself be tempted by Google Trends! It's a tool that's still little-known in the educational sphere, but one that offers tremendous pedagogical opportunities if you take the time to make it your own.

Illustration: EdZbarzhyvetsky - depositphotos

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