Every day, we receive thousands of messages via (social) media: from hard, irrefutable (?) facts to absolute nonsense. Although we realise it, we are still often deceived. And that can have consequences. In the What’s New project, Mediawijs and Kazerne Dossin joined forces to look for ways to teach youngsters about conspiracy theories and propaganda. Discover the What’s New educational package in which pupils learn to deal with propaganda, conspiracy theories and misleading information.
What is covered
Pupils learn how to deal with propaganda and conspiracy theories through (historical) examples. This gives them more insight into mechanisms that were used in the past, but are still used today to deceive people. They learn that every conspiracy follows a classic structure and how difficult it is to keep something secret for a long time. They discover that conspiracy theories often play on feelings and they learn to investigate which sources of information are reliable.
How to use it
In class, do an online experiment looking for conspiracies and filter bubbles and let your pupils make their own propaganda to learn about propaganda techniques.
Number of participants: you can work in groups or with the whole class.
Duration: 2-3 x 50 minutes
You will need
Download the presentation for a workshop about conspiracy theories
Download the poster about propaganda and conspiracy theories
Download the bookmark about propaganda or conspiracy theories