are consuming news at all. In asking the right questions young people can begin to cut through opinions, cherry-picked facts and trending hashtags to start conversations about the quality and reliability of claims made online and in the media. This approach also challenges us to
re-think the language we use in discussions with young people. Is screentime distinct from time? Is news only for news organi- sations to report? Do we DM, tweet, like or vlog? I don’t have all the answers here but one way we can ensure young people are engaged in conversations about information literacy is to work with them in the produc- tion of material designed to spark thinking and debate. At Sense about Science we were approached by parents, librarians and others concerned about fake news and in response we collaborated with young people in the design of our resources and activities on this issue. They are all available online (https://ask-
forevidence.org/index) and free to use.
Thinking critically In the current Covid-19 crisis, critical think- ing interventions are more important than ever. As the majority of children aren’t in physical classrooms there is an opportunity to support teachers and parents by providing
32 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
useful relevant educational interventions. This isn’t just about filling the gap left by school closure. The 2018 Commission on Fake News (
https://bit.ly/3dSKuQn) concluded half of teachers feel the national curriculum does not equip children with the skills they need to identify fake news and a third of teachers feel the critical thinking skills taught in school aren’t transferable to the real world. Bottom-up approaches often led by charities, libraries and youth organisations are well placed to provide an alternative but necessary part of young people’s education. Information professionals’ expertise has been crucial in the development of these interventions. Working in a variety of settings, they are in a good position to empower young people from a broad range of backgrounds in regions across the UK with critical thinking skills. In any case, even before the lockdown measures were introduced, young people spent the majority of their time outside the classroom. It’s outside the classroom where they watch an influencer comment on current events or talk with their friends about what beauty treatment is best. By 11 years old, 90 per cent of children have their own phone (
https://bit.ly/2Zx4Fy3), and talking with their friends and others online hasn’t come to a standstill since schools closed. In
fact, we have found critical thinking inter- ventions to be very effective in informal learning environments.
Public libraries are well suited to this
task, as not only are they the most visited cultural service in the UK they are also spaces where communities come to access information, news and stories relevant to them. The cultural and service needs libraries have to consider and provide for are diverse. This makes them ideal places to promote critical thinking as they can help make sense of the sometimes overwhelming amount of information young people are expected to understand and base decisions on. We have also seen school libraries use our resources and develop their own approaches to provid- ing critical thinking. These are effective meeting points between the formal and informal learning environments children come into contact with.
Good information
The need for these interventions is urgent in this crisis. Ineffective or harmful Covid cures are being offered online, in the media and even suggested by the U.S. President. When the science behind the headlines is uncertain and conflict-
June-July 2020
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