iCivics reposted this
Most of my students get their news from social media. Most do not see the problem. For students to care about BIAS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, and so on in general, history teachers must first get students to care about these issues in the narratives that already matter to them. Ask your students: 1. What are news stories that matter to you right now? 2. Why do these stories matter? 3. How do they affect you? Someone you love? Society as a whole? 4. Why do things like bias, accuracy, and reliability matter in the telling of these stories? Using THESE stories (I let each student choose one story that matters to that student), ask your students to critically evaluate a variety of sources pertaining to the topic each person chose. I encourage students to start with whatever media they already consume, and to then branch out and find other sources. Ask for at least 3-5 sources (you may get a TikTok video or Instagram post thrown in there. Great!) This assignment is an excellent pre-assessment for where your students are coming from, as far as finding a reliable resource. Hopefully your class is designed to train students to become better consumers over time. Starting with topics students already care about sets the stage for students to value (we hope) and better understand how to practice critical thinking later in the semester (when students might encounter a topic they have to work harder to engage or connect with). Launching educated consumers into the world who think critically IN GENERAL, and care about accuracy and fairness for their own sake, is one of the greatest achievements any teacher can claim. iCivics is an amazing FREE resource toward this end, and you can even link it to your Google Classroom! Google #historyteachers #education #historymatters #reliableresource #accuracy #bias #lifelonglearner #criticalthinking #studentbuyin #skillsbasededucation #studentengagement