Following a controversial and misinformation-filled election cycle, many families will sit at the Thanksgiving table with loved ones who may not agree. In North Salem, New York, a seventh-grade media literacy class is preparing to meet this challenge by learning to have difficult but empathetic conversations.
“One of the most important things to know about media literacy is that it is nonpartisan,” said Cynthia Sandler, who teaches at CBS News. “It’s about asking questions. It’s about critical thinking. It’s about teaching students and people how to think, not what to think.”
There is a growing desire for media literacy classes like Sandler’s across the country. Over the past 15 years, 19 states have added media literacy standards to their education requirements, according to a 2023 report from Media Literacy Now. The report found that at least seven other states have legislation pending on the topic, including New York, which is home to the nation’s largest public school district.
Learn to have productive conversations
The week before Thanksgiving, Sandler students role-played scenarios such as how to have a productive discussion with someone who doesn’t believe the truth and how to differentiate between facts and opinions.
“Facts can be proven, like pumpkin pie has less sugar and apple pie has more nutritional value,” one student said, after miming an argument over which kind of pie is better. best.
In a second group, a student said the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was a New York tradition which began in 1924 – took place this year in Florida. Her scene partner helped her determine that the website showing the incorrect location was satirical.
“Satire can be a form of joking,” the student explained. “But satire can be dangerous because some people can get caught up in it. Like you went and bought plane tickets to Florida.”
Although the subject matter is not as intense as a political debate, the skills students learn are easily transferable. Sandler uses an acronym for the method: CARE
Connect: Show empathy and build relationships
Ask: Question without attacking
Research: Share your ideas
Educate: Suggest ways to verify information
Sandler believes this training is invaluable, not only to his students, but to everyone.
“Classrooms are a microcosm of society,” she said. “What we can simulate in a classroom – listening, questioning, speaking, respecting each other – is what is possible in society.”
Misinformation confused with information
Recent surveys show that the need for this type of course is growing.
In May 2024, the News Literacy Project surveyed 1,110 adolescents aged 13 to 18 in the United States about their media diet and literacy skills. Eighty percent of teen respondents said they regularly consult conspiracy theories online. Of this group, 80% said they believed at least one. These conspiracy theories range from flat earth to government officials who are actually “lizard people.”
Beyond these alarming statistics, most students struggle to read media well in general. More than half of students could not differentiate between branded content and reported articles and did not recognize that an opinion article was based on opinion and not fact.
“We’ve always talked about media in relation to books. English teachers will say, ‘Here’s a book, and here’s the context in which it was written,'” Sandler said. “We don’t have the skills for what’s happening on social media. We don’t have the skills to deal with the whirlwind of activity on different websites… different channels.”
Students also learn to share what they have learned with the adults in their lives. In North Salem, Sandler said parents have expressed a desire to be able to take this training.
“We work with citizens who don’t know what to believe,” Sandler said.
“Misinformation gets confused with information. And eventually you can get to the point where no one knows what to trust, and no one trusts anything, and that’s a terrible place to be. It’s a terrible place in a democracy, it’s a terrible place to live as a person.”
An integral part of American education
It’s not just teachers and parents who see the need for these courses. In that same News Literacy Project survey, 94 percent of teens said they wanted media literacy classes, but only 39 percent said they had taken one.
The NLP works with schools to help them integrate some form of media education into their curriculum. Some schools have created courses dedicated to media literacy, such as in North Salem. Others incorporate elements of media literacy into their subject lessons, such as science and social studies.
“We need to ensure that every student learns these skills and abilities before they graduate,” says Charles Salter, president and CEO of NLP.
