A scientific study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that false news spreads on Twitter much further and faster that true news items. Just like spoken gossip and rumours, people just can’t wait to share or retweet something unusual or shocking. The study found that false news stories are 70 percent more likely to … Continue reading “False News Travels Faster and Further”
Governments and news organisations around the world are more and more concerned about teaching children to navigate the nebulous world of news and information on the Internet and help them become well-informed citizens. That means there are plenty of resources out there to help teach the topic. Here’s a selection. Today’s teenagers are often referred … Continue reading “Media Literacy Online Resources”
Every year the Semaine de la presse à l’école encourages teachers to work on media literacy with their pupils, by examining the press and having pupils turn their hands to reporting themselves. It’s a wonderfully realistic activity for language learners. There is a really excellent teaching pack with so many ideas in that you can … Continue reading “Media Literacy Week”
Ever since the surprise result of the June 8 General Election, figures have been flying round traditional and social media claiming that the swing away from the Conservatives to Labour was caused by young voters “taking their revenge” for the Brexit referendum. It’s a good story. But is it true? After the Brexit referendum, there … Continue reading “Did Britain Just Have A Youth Quake?”
“Equal Pay Day” is marked on different days in countries but the message is the same: women are paid less than men for equivalent work, and it’s time to raise awareness of this gender pay gap. In France, Equal Pay Day 2016 is being marked on 7 November. In the UK it’s the 10th. That’s … Continue reading “Equal Pay Day”
A simple video to introduce the topic of the gender pay gap. In France, Equal Pay Day 2016 is being marked on 7 November. In the U.K. it’s the 10th. That’s the day when women effectively stop earning — they work the rest of the calendar year for free. That is of course just a … Continue reading “Equal Pay Day Video”
This project from the United Nations is really concrete and could work well as part of an EPI with Maths and Geography, or at a more sophisticated level as part of a Lieux et formes du pouvoir or l’idée du progrès theme in lycée, especially with ES classes. It asks pupils to collect statistics about … Continue reading “Collecting Statistics: Class Project on Gender Equality”
In 2011, the United Nations declared 11 October the International Day of the Girl. It’s a day to celebrate girls and raise awareness of the problems they face. The UN, Plan International and USAID all have excellent resources for working on gender equality and education in class. Many of these topics would work well as … Continue reading “International Day of the Girl Webpicks”