What strategies can we teach at school?
- Check the source of the news
- Check the url of the site from which the news comes
- Take a look at the site layout
- Headlines can sometimes be misleading
- Find out if the author is identifiable, credible, real
- Check the sources or links supporting the news
- Check if the news was reported elsewhere
- Look for the publication date
- Use your common sense
- Visit websites that debunk hoaxes and fake news
Other tips here
Teaching Online Research and evaluation
The ability to identify fake news and to evaluate the sources of information is an essential life skill for 21st century citizens. In order to successfully bring this topic into teaching practice it is essential to foster the students’ critical thinking and problem solving competences.
Teachers should therefore promoting students’ curiosity about the world around them, encouraging them to ask questions and find creative solutions to relevant issues.
Newsela is a website that offers news articles from several major publications in several different reading levels. It works well with encouraging students to think critically and ask meaningful questions about the world around them.
TED Ed is a fantastic resource for helping students gain insights into real-world problems. The site’s collection of engaging videos works well to inspire students to want to learn more and take the initiative – both are necessary components for problem based learning.
Title: Fake news special team
Learning objective(s): the students apply to real news the rules for the evaluation of the sources, collaborate in a team in order to solve problems and present their work, fostering their metacognitive awareness.
Execution:
- Divide the students into groups of 3 or 4
- Assign each group a highly topical issue
- Ask them to find 1 fake news and 1 reliable news about the topic, using the techniques and rules you will have taught
- Ask them to present their work to the class, explaining how they have evaluated the pieces of news
Title: Escape from the fake news
Learning objective(s): the students play an escape room game, learning to think quickly and evaluate the quality of an online source of information
Execution:
- Create an escape room with Google Forms (see a tutorial): the quizzes should make the students sort different sources of information, based on the rules you will have previously taught.
- Ask the students to play through their mobiles (if the school regulation allows it) or in couples in the ICT room, or even at home as homework.
- Create a badge or a reward for those who manage to escape in the shortest possible time