Emotions have a substantial impact on attention and the learning process, particularly problem solving and concertation. We are living in a technological era which is accompanied with loads of social networks and online resources that not only are not always true but also are meant to do harm! Students need to be aware of fake news and its destructive influences, although teachers play a key role to develop theirs cognitive skills in this regard! For instance, in a digital world, for ELLs (English language learners) developing lesson plans in order to improve vocabulary knowledge can be effective before having them take part in classroom discussions. For example, educators can create online discussion forums accessible for all learners from English learners to English natives!

Then evaluating and assessing fake news is the next advanced step for students. For instance,  the Stanford study is a great example to evaluate student’s ability to distinguish misleading news from real news which can be completed by finding sources or getting  students to ask themselves firstly what they feel, what they see in  Fukushima ‘s image?

According to Project Look Sharp : Here are a few basic questions to consider:

• Who made this?

• Who is the target audience?

• Who paid for this? Or, who gets paid if you click on this?

• Who might benefit or be harmed by this message?

• What is left out of this message that might be important?

• Is this credible (and what makes you think that)?

Another strategy is, challenging students to apply their skills to find authentic information like reading references or tools like verification in mathematics lessons which include charts and statistics which is proved to be the easiest way to make up fake data and make people believe! Additionally, we can fit one article into our lesson plan every week, as well as grouping students to analyze their evidence in the classrooms. In Pre-K grades leisure activities such as playing with cards might be WAY approachable!

NCTE suggested a new approach toward digital literacy stating instructors need to equip themselves with interactive tools to guide students to understand complex subjects such as science and mathematics within active research, sharing their classroom assignments and opinions specifically by Internet platforms: weblogs or e-portfolios. This will definitely transfer the critical concept of delivering wrong information to students and its dangerous consequences to say the least! On the other hand, connecting students and exposing them more to these potential situations make younger children realize the vital role of their responsibility towards others and more importantly toward themselves!

We need to be good at recognizing the range of strategies others use in communicating, and at figuring out how to open and carry on conversations (in the appropriate medium) with others”

(Anne Wysocki)

Step one is to consider that fake news may be a fight not over truth, but power…

Brooke Borel