insideKENT Magazine Issue 72 - March 2018 | Page 126

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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