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S T EM S P E C I A L www.teachwire.net | 47 back to its beginning. What is the context in which it was shared? Is the content recent or was it shared a long time ago? You can demonstrate this method using different types of information – articles, images, videos, and audio – to model the process. The iceberg diagram An iceberg is split into two parts: the surface and the deep-dive. Surface questions about an article or image might include ‘What does the information tell us?’ or ‘Who wrote the article?’ or ‘Where did you find the information?’ Those are generally easy questions to answer without thinking critically. The deep-dive questions include ‘What are the author’s beliefs?’ or ‘What information is left out?’ or ‘How could this information make some people feel?’ Usually, these questions have multiple answers or answers that require more detail. Creating an iceberg diagram is a really helpful way for children to visualise their thinking. You can give pupils templates on paper, or project a bigger class version on the whiteboard or visualiser. Show the top of the iceberg sticking out above water, then the bulk of it below the surface. Take an article or image, and place questions about the information in each part of the iceberg, depending whether they’re ‘surface’ or ‘deep dive’, and get children to discuss why a question fits into its section. Just like SIFT, you will need to dedicate a few lessons to teaching this process. Then, you’ll need to reaffirm it throughout every lesson that requires critical thinking or fact-checking. Real or fake? Gamified learning can be a good way to engage children in media literacy. Using online tools, source a series of images – both AI-generated and real photos. Put them into a set of slides or an online quiz tool and ask the children, ‘Real or fake?’ Between each image, ask pupils to explain their choice. How can they tell it’s real? Or how do they know it’s fake? Are there mistakes in the image? Or things that don’t make sense? It’s important, when children call out an AI image as real, that you take time to discuss why fact-checking is important (because it’s not always easy to tell just by looking). This is where the SIFT method can come into play. Research races A fun way to explore fact-checking skills is to challenge pupils to find information sources in the form of a race. Children will need internet access for this activity. To prepare for this, you will need to find a couple of news stories. For each story, change the headline and some details. Avoid providing any information about the source when you share the articles with pupils. Now it’s a race to the finish line: who can find the true source first? For more support, you can pair or group children to work together. TP Icebergs of FAKE NEWS Sheena Peckham is the content lead at Internet Matters, a leading non-profit organisation committed to safeguarding children in the digital world. internetmatters.org/digital-matters @IM_org How can children tell the difference between facts, beliefs and opinions online? A few carefully placed activities can work wonders, says Sheena Peckham W hat are the signs of something being fake online? Is it that it seems too good to be true? Or features something that’s pushing an agenda? Or has obvious spelling errors? Yes, those are some of questions and signs to look out for, but they’re not very helpful to a child who doesn’t yet have the critical thinking skills to assess motives, or who struggles with their own spelling. Often, the common signs we highlight when it comes to misinformation or disinformation are easier to talk about than to spot. This is especially true for neurodivergent children. But it’s essential that we help pupils navigate the online world, so below are some approaches you might find useful with your class. The SIFT method When it comes to children’s media literacy, it’s a good idea to develop an easy-to-remember process that you can display in the classroom. One such process is the SIFT method: Stop, Investigate, Find and Trace. Stop: Before believing or sharing information, stop and think about whether it might be false. Investigate: Investigate the source. Who is sharing the information? Where does it come from? Find: Can you find the same information in other places? Does it say the same thing or something different? If the information is different, then we need to explore further. Trace: Trace the information