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Preparing Youth for Critical Information Engagement in a Digital World: Evidence from IREX's Learn to Discern in Education Project

Thu, March 26, 10:00 to 11:30am EDT (10:00 to 11:30am EDT), Hyatt Regency Miami, Floor: Lobby (Level 1), South Hall

Proposal

Every day, our world produces 2.5 quintillion bytes of data, the equivalent of 250,000 Libraries of Congress, much of it generated and disseminated via social media. A lot of it is of poor quality and created to attract advertising revenues that come with high “engagement” markers: “likes” and “shares”. Another big portion of it is disinformation – narratives designed to mislead. Disinformation can ignite violence, divide communities, distort elections, to mention only a few risks. It is increasingly clear that professional news media have no longer a monopoly on the generation and dissemination of information. There are predictions that in the very near future, the majority of data will be produced by machines. The impending dominance of AI in the production of data will further accelerate the rate of expansion of the information universe.

While solutions that focus on platform regulation, improving algorithms, and providing better content are being considered by policy makers, it is as important to bring the focus back to education, as the ultimate compass for navigating the information universe is the human mind.

IREX has developed a pioneering Learn to Discern approach (L2D) that teaches modern media and information literacy skills to engage with information critically, master emotions and impulse-control, and exercise responsible online behaviors. L2D equips learners of all ages with the skills to sort fact from fiction, recognize disinformation and hate speech, identify manipulative content, navigate information overload, become savvy to bots and scammers, and make wise choices about what they should share and with whom. Evidence has proven that L2D builds long-lasting critical information engagement skills.

Due to the digital generational gap between parents and children, young students easily learn to use digital devices but do not typically understand how information that flows thought those devices affects their lives and communities. IREX’s Learn to Discern in Education initiative in Ukraine works with the Ministry of Education and teachers to integrate critical information consumption and engagement skills into secondary schools by inserting skill-building directly into instruction of history, language and literature, and arts and humanities. Pilot results (assessed through a controlled study) from the initial 50 schools across Ukraine’s diverse geographic regions, demonstrated that after exposure to 10 – 16 lessons that have integrated media literacy elements, participants were twice as likely to detect hate speech; 18% better at identifying manipulative news stories; 16% better at differentiating between facts and opinions; and 14% more knowledgeable about the news media industry. The project is now being scaled to 650 schools nationwide. IREX is also working with pre- and in-service teacher training institutions to ensure sustainability of roll out.

Children and youth bear the long-term consequences of misinformation. Skills that help them build resilience to manipulation and exercise healthy and responsible online behaviors not only safeguard their wellbeing, privacy, and social interactions; they prepare the next generation of voters, policy-makers, and citizens live in fact-based, just, and incisive societies. Learning how to engage with digital information must be a part of their education.

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