Countering false information

How do we know what information we can trust and what we can’t? We live in a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult – and increasingly important – to be able to sort facts and robust information from ‘fake news’– disinformation and misinformation.

Navigating false information

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“When it comes to navigating false information on the internet, it’s like everyone’s driving cars without a licence.”

Illustration by Gavin Mouldey.

Rights: Crown 2019

Digital literacy

The internet has changed our world. Vast repositories of scientific information are only a finger tap away.

To be able to operate and contribute to the world we live in, accurate information is important. We want students to be able to understand science and science ideas so that they can participate in decisions and develop solutions for the issues they face. These issues range from socio-scientific problems on a world scale like climate change to personal decisions around things like health and wellbeing.

The nature of science strand ‘Participating and contributing’ has a focus on students using their growing science understanding to participate and contribute to their own lives and to society.

For students to contribute as scientifically literate citizens of Aotearoa and the world, they need to:

• develop their scientific vocabulary and understanding of science conventions – see more in The ‘Communicating in science’ strand

• be able to identify reliable information sources

• recognise the ways in which information can be subverted.

Sorting fact from fiction online

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Students need to be explicitly taught tools to identify information they can trust online. A Stanford University study identified that less than 6 hours of instruction helps high-school students learn to spot dubious sources online.

Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato 

The rapidly changing online and social media environment: artificial intelligence, new platforms, rising time spent online, platforms changing and adapting, and deepfakes increasingly confront young people. The ability to decipher which information is credible is critical, and support to develop dispositions and attitudes which help young people interact positively online are urgently needed. 

Of course, digital literacy is not limited to scientific issues – it is needed across all aspects of online engagement. 

Research by Stanford University identified that high school students have difficulty in discerning fact from fiction. In positive follow-up research, they also identified that it does not take much to learn how to spot misinformation online.  

Making sense of it all

With vast amounts of information available to students via social media and online forums, how do we help them to make sense of it all?

To counter false information, students need to understand:

• the different types of false information and the motivating factors behind it – as explained in the Connected article Fake facts

• how digital technology can intentionally or unintentionally manipulate the information we receive with algorithms and artificial intelligence

• how to recognise false information online

• how information can be manipulated – for example, with the use of logical fallacies.

To understand why people believe false information and what makes it so sticky, read Making sense of our information environment.

Each of these resources encompass a ‘big idea’ in digital literacy and can be incorporated into the Understand, Know, Do framework. This framework works to deepen student understanding as they explore a context (know) via critical inquiry (do). The articles provide real-life examples of the big ideas, which can be used as the context for inquiry.

Fake news in the online world

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The term ‘fake news’ has been in use for more than two centuries. ‘Fake news’ meant exactly what it sounds like – the news was not true. However, in recent times, the term has become a way to shut down conversation and discredit information whether it is factual or not.

Rights: wrightstudio, 123RF Ltd

Digital literacy – competencies and capabilities

Digital literacy encompasses each of the New Zealand Curriculum’s key competencies. As we become increasingly dependent on digital resources for news, research and entertainment, it is important for all of us to be able to:

• find, evaluate and create digital content using critical thinking skills

• understand and use language and symbols – including how language is used to inform, persuade and/or manipulate information and ideas

• relate to others safely and effectively as we participate in and contribute to the online world.

The science capabilities have a strong emphasis on:

• making careful observations to ensure robust explanations – including the inferences we draw from observations

• the use of evidence to support ideas and explanations

• being able to evaluate the trustworthiness of data – including visual data/representations

• engaging with real-life issues.

Growing these competencies and capabilities should become transferable skills across all subject areas of the national curriculum.