In the current political climate, the term “ fake news” has
entered into the lexicon of everyday usage. An obvious and critical question
for teachers today is “ how do we teach our students the difference between
“real news” and “ fake news.” With the Internet
and social media, it is all to easy to manufacture a story, complete with
photo-shopped pictures and send it around the world in minutes. If you are of a
certain age and remember the television show “Dragnet,” Sergeant Joe Friday,
the main character would always say “ just the facts, ma’am.” Today there is a
lot more to it. A recent article in the journal of the New Jersey Education
Association- The Review- lists several suggestions for getting students to
search for accurate information.
1)
Who authored the story? What publication carried
the story? You always want to determine the legitimacy of the web site and/ or
sponsor.
2)
What are the sources of the story? It is like
checking the authenticity of a bibliography.
3)
Is this a true story or propaganda? In the wonderful
film “ Paperclips” which relays the story of teaching eighth graders in rural Tennessee
about the Holocaust, the teacher remarks’” propaganda has nothing to do with the
truth.” Students need to learn that everything they read is not necessarily
true.
4)
Students need to learn to ask the right
questions. Just as teachers learned in their methods classes, asking the right questions
will generate thoughtful discussion and lead to the correct answers.
Now, more than ever, we must teach our students to
discriminate between what is true and real and what is not.
c.2017 J. Margolis
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