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Dreamstime
Education Dive
Coronavirus puts information literacy in curriculum spotlight
Shawna De La Rosa
July 8, 2020
Dive Brief:
Information literacy has become increasingly difficult to teach in the
coronavirus era, as the plethora of online platforms can make it
difficult to sort fact from fiction, according to an EdSurge podcast.
The pandemic has shown misinformation can have serious health
consequences, such as when unproven coronavirus cures and preventions
are touted. Peter Adams, senior vice president for education at the
News Literacy Project, urges educators to train students to check the
authenticity and validity of information before sharing with friends or
on social media.
Logic Check, a tool created by educational consultant Jonathan Haber,
can also help analyze claims through critical thinking rather than fact
checking alone, considering questions beyond the basic information
presented, which can sometimes be misleading.
Dive Insight:
Information literacy, also known as media literacy, teaches students to
question sources rather than simply accepting details as presented. The
importance of teaching students how to critically analyze information
is taking on new urgency in 2020 as misinformation about the
coronavirus, Black Lives Matter and the upcoming presidential election
spreads.
Students are experiencing an “infodemic,” as one expert put it, of
misinformation. To counter this, a variety of media literacy groups are
developing lesson plans and resources related to coronavirus, as well
as other issues.
Fourteen states have media literacy curricula in standards, with
Florida and Ohio standing out as leaders in this area. In both states,
media literacy must be included in all subjects and throughout the
curricula. Texas is also considered a leader, while New Mexico offers
media literacy as an elective, and Washington has instructional
resources and funding for teacher training on the subject.
News literacy has become more difficult to navigate in the age of smart
phones and social media, according to Adams. It’s not just access to
information, but users' abilities to post and share information, right
or wrong. This creates challenges when it comes to knowing what to
believe. But in teaching students to think critically and be skeptical,
educators also have to find a balance that prevents them from becoming
cynical and believing all news is designed to manipulate them.
Another challenge is that not all teachers are objective when it comes
to the credibility of news sources. A study published in the journal
Educational Researcher found high school social studies teachers’
political views impact how credible they find mainstream media sources.
Teachers who consider themselves “very conservative,” for example,
believe Fox News is the most credible source of information, while
liberal teachers said the network is the least credible. Both groups,
however, considered BBC and NPR/PBS among their top three most-trusted
news sources.
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