Fake news is being cited by pupils

as fact in their studies, warn

teachers
Teachers express frustration at pupils refusing to accept
some stories found on social networks are false, as
experts call for better education on online dangers

Pupils are quoting fake news as fact in lessons and
written work, teachers have warned. More than a
third of teachers say their students have cited false
information found online, according to a poll by the
NASUWT teaching union. Union general secretary
Chris Keates said the finding was “worrying” and
shows the power that internet firms have in shaping
public opinion, especially among young people.
The figures come amid growing concerns from
international education experts, who say children
should be taught in schools how to recognise fake
news. In one case, a union member said that “some
students did not attend school and hysteria ensued
because they thought there were killer clowns
roaming the streets with weapons”.
Another said pupils “often mistake spoof news sites
for real news”.
Others expressed frustration over students refusing
to believe news they had seen on Facebook and
other social sites was not true, even when the
problem was explained to them.
“Pupils often mistake spoof news sites for real news,
or presume anything President Trump has said must
be fact,” one teacher added.
Last week, German officials announced they would
issue fines of up 50m euros to social networks for not
taking down illegal fake news posts. The new law
would give social networks 24 hours to delete or
block the content and seven days to address less
clear-cut cases.
Commenting on the survey findings, Ms Keates said:
“It is worrying that over a third of teachers had
experienced pupils citing fake news or inaccurate
information they had found online as fact in their work
or during classroom discussions.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education
”This demonstrates the great power that companies
such as Facebook and Google now have in shaping
public opinion, particularly among young people who
have never known a world without internet and who
are less equipped to analyse the information they see
presented to them online and assess its plausibility.
“It is important for children and young people to be
made aware that not everything they see and read
online is real.”
She said that teachers are trying to help educate
pupils when they cite false information, but added
that, as with other forms of technology misuse, it is
important for online providers to “take responsibility
for the material hosted on their platforms and to take
steps to tackle those who seek to misuse these
sites”.
Last month, Andreas Schleicher, the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD)
director of education and skills, said that in the
modern digital age, schools should teach pupils how
to think critically and analyse what they read on
social media and news sites.
“In the past, when you needed information, you went
to an encyclopaedia, you looked it up, and you could
trust that information to be true,” Mr Schleicher said.
“Distinguishing what is true from what is not true is a
critical skill today,” he added.
“Exposing fake news, even being aware that there is
something like fake news, that there is something
that is written that is not necessarily true, that you
have to question, think critically, that is very
important.
“This is something that we believe schools can do
something about.”

Discussion corner
1. Do you think that most people are able to spot if news is real or fake? Why/why not?
2. Do you think that experts are right to be worried about the power of fake news? Why/why
not?
3. How do you think that we can deal with the problem on the internet?

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Match the words with their definition

1. a poll ______ an uncontrollable outburst of emotion or fear, often characterized by

irrationality, laughter, weeping
2. hysteria ______ unambiguously clear; completely evident; definite:
3. spoof ______ having knowledge; conscious;
4. clear-cut ______ having an appearance of truth or reason;
5. plausibility ______ a sampling or collection of opinions on a subject,
6. aware ______ to undertake to handle, master, solve,.
7. to tackle ______ a hoax; prank

Find a word or phrase in the text which means ...

1. as shown by (preposition,): ____________________
2. see or notice something (verb,): ____________________
3. remove (phrasal verb,): ____________________
4. stop something being seen (verb,): ____________________
5. use your time to do something (phrasal verb,): ____________________
6. use something for the wrong purpose (verb,): ____________________
7. take action to solve a problem (phrasal verb,): ____________________
8. very important (adj.): ____________________

Choose the correct words to complete each of the sentences below.

content internet providers online posts social media websites
1. Messaging on ________________ is a typical way for young people to communicate.
2. If you don't know the answer, find it _______________.
3. He wrote several ___________________ that day about his trip to Mexico.
4. Many __________________ can also sell you a TV and phone package.
5. There are a lot of _________________ which offer cheap holiday accommodation.
6. Social networks will have 24hrs to remove ______________ that is illegal.

Answer the following questions

What do the statistics show: why are the results so worrying?

What examples did teachers discuss during the survey?

How do students react to President Trump's tweets?

What did the German official announce?

Why, do you think, have they made this move?

How does Ms Keates interpret the findings of the survey?

According to Ms Keates and Andreas Schleicher, how can society combat fake news?

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