Teach Secondary Issue 14.8

At the time of writing I’ve just returned from Jersey, having been commissioned by its government to deliver workshops on the potential harms of social media and how to avoid them to 7,000 young people aged 7 to 18. At the older end of that spectrum, many students asked me about the political implications of algorithms being controlled by those with nakedly far right views, and the role of disinformation in promoting racism and xenophobia. I had to be extremely careful in how I answered these questions, lest I accidentally promote any particular politics (other than the general values of tolerance, kindness, etc.) – but I did my best to answer them as honestly as I could. Similarly, there was a recent All- Party Parliamentary Group for Teaching and Learning session – ostensibly about online misogyny – that examined efforts at radicalising boys and young men to the far right. We might tiptoe around the issue because of the sensitivities described above, but it’s all connected. If democracy is going to be saved, education will play a key role. Extremely angrypeople I’ve heard many people argue that improving critical thinking skills via the education systemwould all but eradicate fascistic views. I don’t disagree that literacy around data, and the ability to spot propaganda have roles to play. Yet as Jameela Jamil recently pointed out on theWhat’s Left podcast (see tinyurl. com/ts148-ND1), some of the finest minds in the world – not to mention considerable funding and resources – have been directed towards encouraging people to vote against their own interests, and blame their circumstances on scapegoats. Framed that way, it’s not necessarily a lack of intelligence we’re up against. Over the past couple of months, some clips frommy weekly LBC show, in which I’ve invited genuine experts to give verified facts about immigration (as opposed to the more dubious ones that circulate on Facebook) have gone viral. As such, my feeds have become full of extremely angry people who don’t enjoy having their biases or belief systems challenged. Apparently, ‘we can’t trust official government figures’, or institutions like universities, or charities working with refugees, or scientists. Instead, we should put our trust in dubiously and opaquely funded organisations calling themselves ‘think tanks’, or some random, often anonymous online content creators. Thinking theworst Traditional wisdommight label these people stupid, but consider the following, very typical interaction. Awoman who initially said that all refugees should ‘ Stay in France ’ recently wrote beneath one of my reels that we should ‘ Look after our own first ,’ and referenced the number of British homeless people. I told her I agreed that more should be done to support people without homes, which is why I’ve donated to, and volunteered for the charity Crisis. I was trying to demonstrate that it isn’t an either/or; that one can care about refugees and homeless people simultaneously. She then called me a ‘do-gooder ’. Looking at the accounts of people obsessed with ‘small boats’, they tend to also post a lot about how unemployed people are ‘lazy,’ and how those with mental health issues are ‘malingering’. Anyone who disagrees is ‘virtue signalling’. It’s not intelligence these people lack. It’s empathy. They think the worst of their fellow humans at every given opportunity. They can’t imagine what it’s like to be anyone who isn’t exactly like them. EQover IQ When one considers the broader neoliberal culture we’re immersed in – one that prizes competition and individualism over community – it’s hardly surprising that so many people are like this. Similarly, for too long, activities that revolve around group work in schools have been considered an excuse for pupils to be lazy, as opposed to teaching them the crucial skill of collaboration. This has happened alongside a general de-funding and de-prioritising of the arts, which are the best tool we have for fostering empathy, compassion and humanity. If schools are to play a role in reducing racist violence and promoting social democracy, then it’s the wrongly- dubbed ‘soft skills’ that need to be prioritised. It’s EQ (emotional intelligence) more than IQ that defines a nation’s character. Calls for more teaching of ‘critical thinking’ are welcome – but we still have to reckon with the information campaigns and economic incentives that are working to keep people in a state of fear, hostility and intolerance Natasha Devon Natasha Devon is a writer, broadcaster and campaigner on issues relating to education and mental health; to find out more, visit natashadevon.com or follow @_NatashaDevon 19 teachwire.net/secondary S C H O O L O F T H O U G H T