Teach students about some of the different kinds of ‘misleading news’ such as click bait, sponsored content, and conspiracy theories and what motivates them as depicted in the Beyond Fake News Factsheet.
Break the Fake is an online quiz that challenges the audience to identify whether or not a headline is real. After each question the correct answer is explained. This online quiz would be useful in the classroom to introduce students to digital literacy while teaching them critical thinking skills about the materials they view.
Dr. Alec Couros and Dr. Katia Hildebrandt recommend four strategies to help teach students identify fake news. The strategies are:
1. Moving beyond traditional and often ineffective information evaluation checklists. 2. Prioritizing helping students develop investigative techniques. 3. Teaching students to identify bias. 4. Bringing real-world fake news examples that we encounter everyday into the classroom.
The aforementioned strategies can be used by educators alongside the Break the Fake quiz to help students develop their digital literacy and critical thinking skills. Additionally, by introducing students to the different kinds of fake news there is, they will be better able to recognize, identify, and apply their learning using real-world examples.