Personal development, Reflection
> 60 min.
Large group
Upto 1 hour
Materials needed
Reading
Critical thinking, Cultural awareness, Digital skills, Information literacy, Separating main points and side points, Sharing knowledge
Self-motivation
Objectives
- Giving interest and motivation towards following news
- Raise awareness and understanding of the importance of knowing what is going on the society, towards integration
- Awareness of how news are beeing covered and presented differently in international media and how it affects us
Material
Computers/ipads/wifi passwords, sheets or posters for making notes
Preparation
The teacher will need to prepare by getting updated on the current news situation and select one headline that can be investigated further by the students. The teacher will also need to adapt the introduction to the group’s language level and create a plan for organizing the group work and discussions.
Instructions
Awareness and critical thinking on the topic of news and use of media is an important part of civic integration. Freedom of speech, source critisicm, the role and power of information in our modern society are essential topics to reflect on to become an integrated European citizen. Discussing and listening to other opinions (in a safe environment) on these subjects can be useful and create personal development and deeper reflection.
The teacher chooses one wellknown breaking international headline from the news and presents it to the class by using videos, pictures and explaining important key words. Discuss the case together, make sure that everyone understands most of the causes and contents of the situation.
Then, search for several other national news broadcasters to see how they cover the same actual situation. How are the headlines different from each other?
Example: How is the situation with the collapsed dam in Ukraine presented in the news in America/Russia/Ukraine/Norway/China?
Depending on the group, the students can search themselves on their phones or computers – or the facilitator can do it in front of the group.
The teacher’s role will be to facilitate the sharing of the groups’ different findings (either orally or through presenting a poster) and to ensure that the students have the opportunity to share their reflections and engage in discussion.
Aim for a broader perspective and look for variations and contrasts. How do the differences in medias news covering affect us, and how do the students reflect upon that? What can we learn from it, and what role does the media have in giving us the correct information? Which media can we trust, and is everything we see or read correct?
Variant
A variation of the activity is to gather several different main headlines from different national and international media sources and compare them. Let the students suggest which websites, newspapers, and TV channels they want to investigate. Create a list together of all the main headlines they find and try to categorize them.