EDUCATION
WHAT CAN SCHOOLS DO TO EQUIP STUDENTS WITH CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS TO DECIPHER FAKE NEWS?
WORDS BY TIM JONES, DEPUTY HEAD ACADEMIC AT SEVENOAKS SCHOOL
IN THE CURRENT POLITICAL LANDSCAPE, FUELLED BY INCESSANT SOCIAL MEDIA, THERE IS NO BETTER TIME TO BE ENCOURAGING YOUNG PEOPLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GENUINE AND FAKE NEWS.
Do our young people appreciate, or even consider, what has been gained and what has been lost now that the internet has made everything available to everyone at little or no cost? Take music for example – in making all recorded music available to anyone with a broadband connection, the broadband industry has killed off music television, music journalism and the business model that made it possible for musicians to make a living from their music.
Similarly, and potentially more importantly, take news – most people now don’ t read a daily newspaper, or watch the News at Ten – these have been partially displaced respectively by social media feeds and streaming media feeds. So, why is this important? From a cultural and social point of view these behaviours act to fragment us into groups with similar tastes and beliefs. From a political point of view, this fragmentation of an audience is even more concerning, as it enables a level of influence and suggestion that was not possible even a generation ago.
So, what are the responsibilities of schools and parents in educating young people to be aware of the possible dangers of a distorted news story appearing on their social media feeds? In schools, one of the best assets is clearly the History Department, which can show how propaganda has been used in the past to dehumanise the enemy and to sell an idealised and impossible version of the nation to itself.
We take this beyond the standard curriculum at Sevenoaks School. From their first day until their last day, our students are encouraged to think critically and independently. We have developed a five-year programme( unique to us) called the Critical Thinking Continuum. The course starts in Years 7, 8 and 9 with‘ Systems of Belief’, and offers students an understanding and insight into the beliefs that have shaped and continue to shape our world. The course develops the skills that students need to interpret and comprehend the contemporary religious landscape and nurtures the skills they will develop further in Year 10( Critical Perspectives) and Year 11( Ten Ideas that Changed the World) and further still in‘ Theory of Knowledge’, as part of the International Baccalaureate ®( IB).
Through Systems of Belief, our students learn about the cultural and historical importance of varieties of religious faith, including the atheistic and spiritual perspective, and they look at the differences between stories, teachings, experiences, practices and beliefs.
In Critical Perspectives, students explore a wide range of interesting and important contemporary issues, such as conflict in the Middle East, the characteristics of a ' good ' education, sport and nationalism, scientific research, and the power of the media. Students learn how to develop and evaluate arguments and form their own conclusions, and are encouraged to unpick claims and question assumptions about them.
As they move up the school and take Theory of Knowledge, as part of the IB, they learn about the different ways our knowledge is obtained and justified in various fields.
So, why is this sort of critical thinking skill more important than ever? We have seen the move away from traditional quality newspapers, and the dilution of television channels, which always used to be our main source of information and news, presented in a controlled way and without the opportunity to comment. Now, we are subjected to a constant and differering array of views and media channels with the ability to comment, judge and disagree to all. As a result, we have lost editorial breadth, journalistic depth, and factual integrity in the process, and it is increasingly harder for our young people to understand what is real and what is fake news. That’ s why courses such as our Critical Thinking skills courses are essential for a modern education.
www. sevenoaksschool. org
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