10 things to remember as you plan your class on fake news

Are you about to lead a class about disinformation, fake news or deepfake detection? Great, congratulations! Good choice, we encourage you to take action. Below, you will find 10 recommendations that may help you plan your educational activities.

 

By Piotr Henzler

What to consider to make your class successful, both for you and the class participants? Actually – everything. But that is unfeasible. Still, let us have a look at  the following 10 recommendations. Check which ones seem obvious to you, which ones you would never skip, and which ones might be good to focus on in the nearest future.

1. Clearly identify the goal of your meeting/class/training session  

What is the purpose of your class on fake news? Before you start to plan specific activities, think about whether you want the participants to expand their knowledge about different forms of manipulation, or perhaps you wish them to develop more skills in analysing the news accuracy? Or you may wish them to be more attentive and careful in their encounters with potential fake news?
Set your goals in a way that demonstrates change for the participants. Make sure that these goals are achievable (take into account the composition of the group, duration of the training, your competence level). Do not assume that one or two-hour session can change people’s lives. Still, you can certainly enhance people’s knowledge, increase their skills, raise awareness about fake news. Keep your goals in mind when you plan your activities – check if each activity brings you closer to achieving your goal.  

2. Clarify for whom you develop your activities

Who are the people that will participate in the planned activities? Are they ready to gain some basic knowledge or can you teach an ‘advanced’ level class? Will it be the first time they hear about fake news and disinformation (if so, an introduction is in order, to explain the topic, ideas and show dangers). Or are they familiar with the topic, and you can plan more hands-on activities, e.g. focusing on advanced ways to analyse material? Check if it would be useful to also include e.g. deepfake analysis using apps available on-line (which requires both time and tech-literacy), or is it better to focus on simpler, less demanding activities.
Do not assume that because there are older people in the room, it is better not to expect them to be tech-savvy or that focusing on technology will be best when you work with young people – both assumptions may be wrong.

3. Prepare examples that you will use in class

People tend to  like specifics and topics that they feel are important and relevant to them. Obviously, examples of fake news in the form of text or videos related to the US or clips ‘starring’ Elon Musk or the Pope always make an impression, but also check out on-line fake news about your local area, region, local celebrities or people related to the group (senior citizens or youth) participating in the session. Such examples make the topic relevant and vital, though they also carry some risk (see below).

4. Be careful when using examples that regard participants

News relating to participants may generate emotions and may have a disruptive effect on our session. Imagine that you use the material that shows that „gen-Z are lazy, they do not look for work, they only think about their own comfort”. First, there are many such materials, second – even though such attitudes are certainly present among some young people, they cannot be used to describe the whole ‘generation’ nor do they only concern ‘young people’. If there are gen-Z participants in the room along with older people  who may share such views, you can end up having an ideological discussion about generational characteristics instead of a balanced analysis of information accuracy.

5. Remember to create a good ‘learning situation’

The participants need not only expert knowledge but also conditions that will  facilitate learning. You can ensure these by paying attention to several factors that create a good ‘learning situation’. It consists of the following: a safe environment (where people are not afraid to ask questions or speak about their failures in spotting fake news); a sense of community and bonding among the participants (give them some time to get to know each other, to see that they share a common goal, what brought them together); diversified activities (not only listening to a presentation but also testing specific verification tools individually or as a group exercise, trying to create a piece of ‘plausible fake news’ together); awareness of the rewards, i.e. what they will ‘gain’ as participants (more specifically, the reward is not “knowledge about fake news” but rather “you will find it easier to recognize if a given piece of news is fake or not”).

6. Diversify your methods

Do not plan a session in which you will speak and then ask questions and provide summary. If you do not diversify your methods, your class can be monotonous and people will lose interest, and you will run the risk of some people not really learning anything. If you are not using it already, I encourage you to apply the experiential learning method called the Kolb Cycle, or any other approach to create a learning situation that involves active participation of everyone, based on their own experience, providing space for reflection and encouraging application of new knowledge or skills in real life.    

7. Do not include too much

I do not know how much time you will have, but chances are your session will not exceed two hours. And two hours (or less) is definitely not enough time to address everything, no matter what you do. As you design your class, think about what is key. Is it to introduce the topic to participants? To show them how easy it is to be exposed to fake news, where do these come from and why we do consider them to be true? Or is it better to focus on the ways in which we can spot fake news? Or, if you happen to work with an advanced group, perhaps you can focus on deepfake analysis? Remember not to include too many activities within one session, you can plan several sessions instead. 

8. Do not engage in fear-mongering

Dealing with fake news means that we are entering a sphere where people may experience (well justified) fear – that I can be fooled, l can lose money, that someone may interfere with my choices. Moreover, data shows that it is indeed true – we do get fooled by fake news. Make sure participants do not leave your class convinced that “the world is an evil place and we stand no chance”. Make them feel that even though there are many dangers, there are also ways to mitigate them. It is useful to end the session by providing a summary of ideas of how to cope with fake news, what each and every one can do to avoid falling into traps set by fake news makers - a constructive and empowering conclusion.

9. Be competent

It might sound obvious, but…You are not obliged to ‘know it all’. But if you plan to discuss something, try to know at least a bit more about it that you plan to tell. If you present an app used to create or detect deepfakes, try it beforehand. If you quote data, remember (and state) their source. If you are not sure about something, admit it, do not pretend it is otherwise. 

10. Remember that you are a human being

Which means that you cannot foresee everything. Be open to different scenarios, know that participants are likely to surprise you


Is that all that you should have in mind? Probably not. But if you remember the above 10 recommendations, your class on fake news will be better designed and you will be more confident as you enter the classroom. Good luck!