Adapting Science Learning in an Evolving Environment
In the digital age, the term 'fake news' has become a controversial phrase, often used to shut down conversations and discredit information, regardless of its factual accuracy. Originally, 'fake news' referred to news that was not true. However, the rise of misinformation, disinformation, and bad science online has made it crucial for students and teachers to develop the skills to verify information and recognise trustworthy sources.
To address this challenge, a new suite of resources has been presented to help students counter false information and identify reliable online sources. These resources are designed to help students learn how to spot misinformation, create an inoculation campaign, and understand the tactics used to spread falsehoods in the digital environment.
One of the standout resources is the News Literacy Project, an American educational program offering an online learning platform, free weekly newsletters, professional development for educators, and classroom materials designed to teach sorting fact from fiction online. Another valuable resource is Civic Online Reasoning, which provides free lessons and assessments to help students evaluate online information critically, developed by researchers including those at Stanford.
In addition to these educational programs, digital tools and fact-checking resources are also available. Various online fact-checking resources, AI-driven media analysis platforms, and interactive apps help students verify sources, detect bias, and assess credibility. Anti-disinformation tools include bot/spam detection, credibility scoring, disinformation tracking, verification, and whitelisting mechanisms.
Interactive games for learning, such as Libertas Veritas and Bad News, use interactive narratives and simulation to teach players how misinformation spreads and how to recognise common misinformation tactics in a hands-on, engaging way. Organizations like The Workshop offer regular online training courses that frame how to recognise false information, drawing on multidisciplinary research including psychology and linguistics.
Resources also advise encouraging critical discussions by asking for evidence and sources in conversations when questionable information is presented, fostering a habit of skepticism and inquiry. Each article provides real-life examples of the big ideas, which are useful contexts for sparking inquiry.
The Science Learning Hub, a New Zealand-based organisation, is offering additional assistance in this area. They can provide help with creating collections, lesson planning, Pinterest boards tailored to your needs, or more. The Hub offers added value through their social media platforms, including fostering connections between the education and science communities. An upcoming webinar on 'Monitoring the moana' on August 14 is a prime example of this, where Sally Carson will discuss participatory science methods.
The Science Learning Hub's social media handles are available on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Supporting resources include Countering false information - key terms, Common logical fallacies, Examples of bad science and countering false information, and Fraudulent study: MMR vaccine controversy. The resources for countering false information were overseen by The Workshop, with a special mention to Julie for 'Making sense of our information environment'.
Each article encompasses a 'big idea' in digital literacy that can be incorporated into the Understand, Know, Do framework. A recorded PLD webinar, 'Māori knowledge in science education: He mana ōrite, he awa whiria', discusses the inclusion of Mātauranga in science teaching.
In conclusion, the resources available to students and teachers to counter false information online and identify trustworthy sources are extensive and varied. From educational programs and platforms to digital tools and fact-checking resources, interactive games, training and workshops, and critical discussion strategies, these resources collectively support the development of skills in verifying information, understanding misinformation tactics, and building resilience against falsehoods in the digital environment, suited for both students and educators.
In the pursuit of better education-and-self-development, especially in this digital age, it's essential for students to learn science, including how to identify and counter misinformation and reliable online sources. The Science Learning Hub, an organization based in New Zealand, offers resources like interactive games, lesson planning tools, and social media platforms that can help achieve this learning goal.
For instance, the News Literacy Project, an American educational program, provides an online learning platform and free resources that help students sort fact from fiction online, while resources like Civic Online Reasoning offer lessons and assessments to evaluate online information critically. Additionally, various digital tools and fact-checking resources exist to aid students in verifying sources, detecting bias, and assessing credibility.
