this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2024
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Children will be taught how to spot extremist content and misinformation online under planned changes to the school curriculum, the education secretary said.

Bridget Phillipson said she was launching a review of the curriculum in primary and secondary schools to embed critical thinking across multiple subjects and arm children against “putrid conspiracy theories”.

One example may include pupils analysing newspaper articles in English lessons in a way that would help differentiate fabricated stories from true reporting.

In computer lessons, they could be taught how to spot fake news websites by their design, and maths lessons may include analysing statistics in context.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

This is great, honestly.

If you go back to antiquity, education was about philosophy. It was about learning how to observe, and think critically, and see the world for what it is.

And then in modern times, education became about memorisation - learning facts and figures and how to do this and that. And that way of teaching and learning just doesn't fit any longer with what our digital age has become.

In my opinion, we are heavily overdue for a revamp of what education should be, and what skills are most important to society in this post-truth world. Critical thinking is an important foundation to real knowledge that we don't teach enough.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

"Critical thinking" was a buzzword when I was at school in the 80s.

Memorisation is a component of learning, but the vast majority of any learning I've done has been understanding.

Certainly children need to learn to be skeptical, but I hope we can do better than showing them biased articles from newspapers.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

We were shown different news articles from about the same event and were given the task to point out their biases based on the differences. Do schools over there do that too?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I honestly don't remember. That's not a yes or a no but "I'm not sure". The critical thinking they were talking about wasn't necessarily relating to media though, but more general - like a habit of challenging assumed knowledge.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I did in history class, the point being that when trying to assess historical evidence you have to take into account the source of the information to understand the biases contained in it.

It wasn't in general classes though.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The difference between intelligence and wisdom. We have been prioritizing the former at the detriment of the latter.

This is how you end up with people like Elon Musk who I will give the benefit of the doubt and say he isn't dumb, but Christ he's a moron.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I have mixed feelings. The UK has an incredibly broad definition of extremism. Socialism and antifascism are considered extremist ideologies.

The justification is to stop people like the ones doing pogroms rn, but giving the state power will always be a double-edged sword, one where the edge that swings left is sharper.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Idk critical thinking skills might be good as long as it's not politically backed to single out a specific ideology or propaganda source.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

giving the state power will always be a double-edged sword, one where the edge that swings left is sharper..

Uhh, beg pardon? How so?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Just teach the kids elementary logic. That shit did more for my critical understanding of the world than anything. You can actually mathematically lay out an argument and prove it.

If more people understood the fundamentals of logic, Conservatism wouldn't stand a chance. Not a single mainstream conservative ideal passes a logic test.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

1000%. And the fucked up thing is that I didn't (formally) learn about it until college, and even then, it was an elective course that basically nobody took. The only reason I ever took it was because I hadn't declared my major yet. Turned out to probably be the most important classes I ever took throughout my entire education.

As someone in a STEM field, it's a major bummer to see how one-dimensional a lot of my peers' education was. And it becomes pretty obvious, pretty quickly.

I get why it's silo'd like that, but I really wish majors like engineering would require a bit of a more well-rounded education. I may have inadvertently turned a 4 year program into 5.5 years, or whatever (plus all that additional debt), but I think it was worth it in the long run because now I can understand the reasons my society is collapsing while I watch, rather than just watching!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Correction. English children will be taught this. Education is a devolved matter in the UK so this will not apply to the other parts of the UK

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

One example may include pupils analysing newspaper articles in English lessons in a way that would help differentiate fabricated stories from true reporting.

In computer lessons, they could be taught how to spot fake news websites by their design...

and maths lessons may include analysing statistics in context.

That these lessons haven't been at the core of those subjects since forever is horrific.

We have the same problem in NZ. Several generations of citizens generally lacking basic information processing skills. I suppose they make better consumers.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Can someone teach the boomer generation too? They are vastly more susceptible to believing anything they read online

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Online literacy is really impacting boomers and elder gen x. Like QAnon or Covid Vaccines - some of them flip and just go psycho to the point it impacts their lives.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

"Kids, when you see someone talk about the climate catastrophe or rebellion, report them immediately!"

I know this is a bit of a shitty take, but there just isn't a fix for shitty information constantly streaming in. As long as we allow some insane people that think maximizing profit above anything else to own the means of communication, things are going to continue to get shittier.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Isn't critical thinking taught everywhere?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Lol, no. How would shitheads get elected that way?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

If that were the case, the world wouldn't be as fucked up and run by morons as it is today. Unfortunately, a lack of critical thinking makes someone very easy to control and mislead, so not teaching critical thinking is very much in the interest of the ruling class to keep the populace subservient.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Get them all some fine excerpts from ml comms

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

This is nothing new. I was taught about analysing bias etc in news sources during "citizenship" classes 20+ years ago. Before that, it was called PSHE if I remember correctly.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

"Extremist content" == "not wanting Palestinians to be dehumanized, dispossessed and murdered by Israel"

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Hopefully this is more aimed at far right anti immigration bullshit

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Hopefully it tries to be as neutral as possible, and just gives kids the general tools to spot when something’s fake/exaggerated.

Introducing this sort of thing without trying to be strictly impartial sounds like a slippery slope.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

this class sounds like a malicious teacher could easily introduce bias and radicalize children.. :/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

A malicious teacher would probably already be doing that.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago

Maybe sanction the media outlets for pumping the hate and bullshit out, gbnews for example with all of the blatant racist bullshit they push.

The BBC also do it, but is generally state sanctioned and much more insidious, e.g. support for Israel, attacks on the left.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I'm an oldish dude with fairly conservative liberal views and I think it's absolutely essential that our children get taught this. The risk that this is Orwell's 1984ish is minimal and the benefits far outweigh it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

1984 is a direct result of not teaching critical thinking etc.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I learned critical thinking and news analysis when I was in school. No wonder England is doing so poorly if their kids aren't

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I learned critical thinking and news analysis when I was in school.

It wasn't part of the curriculum when I was in school, but our physics teacher went above and beyond to make sure we got some lessons in critical thinking and skeptical media consumption.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (4 children)

basic media literacy is really needed, hopefully it doesn't come with any political bias built in

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

All information has a bias, so teach that it all has a bias and ways to figure out the biases. Also include that we all have biases in everything we think.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

hopefully it doesn't come with any political bias built in

They would never do that! /s

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Education is typically left leaning

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Reality has a well-known left-wing bias.

That's why the right's only solution is to wage a war on reality.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

There’s no such thing as history/news/etc. without bias, it’s kind of an impossible standard the public thrusts on the humanities fields. There is an expectation of “one” answer to things but that strips nuance and often does violence to “less mainstream” groups or experiences.

The example I always give of something that should be simple to answer is: when did WWII begin? If we believe these things should be neutral or unbiased or “just sticking to the facts,” there should be one concrete answer.

I also often ask folks to list one article or outlet that is “strictly fact based” and neutral.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I also often ask folks to list one article or outlet that is “strictly fact based” and neutral.

And even if somebody manages to find an article they think is "strictly fact based and netural," the question then becomes "why did the news agency decide to cover that topic instead of some other topic?" The choice of what to talk about is just as subject to bias as the choice of what to say about it is.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago

Just show The Alt-Right Playbook in classes. In particular, “How to Radicalize a Normie”

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

BuT WHo DeCIdEs WHaT iS MiSInfOrMaTIoN #1984 ???

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Whoah there - you're referencing a work by a socialist, that's extremist!

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 month ago

Damn kids are dumb af these days

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 month ago

The Guardian - News Source Context (Click to view Full Report)Information for The Guardian:

MBFC: Left-Center - Credibility: Medium - Factual Reporting: Mixed - United Kingdom
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