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Understanding and Identifying Mis-and Disinformation

Middle

Description

These lessons will help students understand the importance of accurate information; the distinctions between misinformation, disinformation, and biased information; and common techniques used to deliberately spread false and misleading content. These skills and knowledge will make them more critical consumers of media and more responsible participants in public conversations—both online and offline.

The lesson covers four key ideas

  1. Why is it important to be well informed
  2. What are misinformation, disinformation and biased information?
  3. What are strategies used to deliberately spread false and misleading content?
  4. How can I avoid being mislead?

This set of lessons begins with substantial guidance and support for students and gradually moves towards greater student independence. Activities include:

The Council of Advisors Game, a structured activity where students evaluate the accuracy of different claims using pre-selected fact-checking sources. Students have a specific question to research and pre-selected sources to consult (in the fact-checking boxes). The discussion to follow this activity is directed by the teacher.

The Classification Game requires students to research an assigned statement and evaluate sources to determine whether it is true or false. Students justify their answers.

The Bad News Game can be played as a class, or in small groups, allowing for different levels of independence. It introduces students to common tactics used to spread disinformation and mislead people. A graphic organizer helps students record their learning and understand key concepts and vocabulary.

The Public Service Announcement activity is entirely self-directed, students create a poster, social media post, or short video highlighting characteristics of misleading content and warning people to think before they share content with these characteristics. Students select both the topic and form, video, poster, social media post, etc. of their PSA.

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

  • These lessons will help students understand the
    importance of accurate information; the distinctions between misinformation, disinformation, and biased information; and common techniques used to deliberately spread false and misleading content. 
  • These skills and knowledge will make them more critical consumers of media and more responsible participants in public conversations—both online and offline

Strengths

  • The lesson explores a current issue that is particularly relevant to students’ lives

  • Lesson is age appropriate and easy to use

  • Excellent background information and assessment strategies for teachers

  • Students learn how messages are designed to influence audiences, which supports digital and media literacy.

  • Creating a public service announcement (PSA) encourages creativity and active participation.

Recommendation of how and where to use it

This lesson is designed for students in grades seven and eight and focuses on helping students develop digital media literacy and fact-checking skills.

Relevant Curriculum Units

The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.

Themes Addressed

Citizenship (1)

  • Media

Economics (1)

  • Corporate Social Responsibility

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Very Good

These lessons and activities help students understand the importance of accurate information, the difference between misinformation, disinformation, and bias, and common techniques used to spread misleading content.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Poor/Not considered

The lesson focuses on literacy and critical thinking skills related to misinformation and disinformation, such as defining key vocabulary and identifying techniques used to spread false information. It briefly touches on social impacts, like how misinformation influences public conversations, but it doesn't effectively explore the environmental, econimic and social dimentsions of the issue.

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Very Good

The lessons help students understand the
importance of accurate information; the differences  between misinformation, disinformation, and biased content; and the common techniques used to spread false or misleading information. They equip students to be criticial consumers of media and responsible participants in conversations.

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Good

Students create a poster, social media post, or short video highlighting characteristics of
misleading content and warning people to think before they share content with these characteristics. They activitly create content to inform others.

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Very Good

Students are given the opportunities to discuss the content and demonstrate their understanding of the issues.

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Poor/Not considered

Not considered in this resource.

Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Poor/Not considered

Not considered in this lesson plan.

Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Very Good

Students develop the skills to critically, effectively, and responsibly access, understand, and engage with information in the news and on social media.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Good

The background information for teachers explains how false content has evolved and why it is an increasingly significant problem.

Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Very Good

The lessons are very open-ended, students develop and apply criteria for evaluating ideas, information, and their sources.

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good
  • Language arts
  • Digital Media Literacy
  • Technology
Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Good

The instruction across both lessons is organized
towards a gradual release of responsibility. This set
of two lessons begins with substantial guidance
and support for students, and ends with students
independently directing their learning. 

Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Very Good

The resource includes a Guidance on Inclusion section that outlines differentiated instruction strategies for each activity in the lesson plan. It also suggests accommodations, supports and modifications for students with an IEP.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Good

The purpose of the PSA activity is to have students reflect on what responsible online behavior looks like, specifically with reference to the spread of misand disinformation. By creating PSAs about how to spot disinformation and prevent its spread, they will have the opportunity to think about and effectively communicate
strategies for online evaluating content before sharing. 

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory

Classroom set-up for Lesson 1 is conducive to working in groups of 5-6 and enable mobility.  Classroom set-up for lesson 2 is
conducive for students pairing up in various
combinations.

Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Very Good

The resource includes Assessment for Learning suggestions for each activity. It incorporates both oral and written assessment methods and provides detailed rubrics to support evaluation.

Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Satisfactory

Students create a public service announcement to encourage responsible sharing/posting online. 

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Poor/Not considered
Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Good

Students create a poster, social media post, or short video highlighting characteristics of
misleading content and warning people to think before they share content. They can choose which media product they would like to use to create their PSA.

Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.

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