How Does Our Work Support the Development of Media Literacy Skills?

Much of Facing History UK’s recent work has been focused on helping teachers support their students to cultivate media literacy skills, and develop as critical consumers and creators of information.

To support this, we have created a unit called ‘Developing Media Literacy for Well-being, Relationships and Democracy’, delivered professional development for educators focused on this unit, and organised events that explore the importance of media literacy with experts in the field. 

The fully-planned ten-lesson unit helps students become conscientious content creators and consumers, who feel empowered to assess information themselves, and trust in their capacity to discern what is true from what is not. This can enhance their decision-making skills and help them grow as effective problem-solvers, who can reflect on societal issues and how best to respond to them. Media literacy skills can nurture student well-being, their relationships and our democracy.

On Tuesday 1st October, we held an event hosted by the U.S. Embassy in London for students, teachers and Facing History community members on navigating the social media landscape. Students were welcomed to the event by Rodney Ford, the Minister Counselor for Public Affairs, and Beki Martin, Executive Director of Facing History UK, before hearing from an expert panel and participating in a Facing History lesson from our media literacy unit. 

I have always liked the idea - although I know I don't do it enough - to look at other arguments when you’re trying to make up your mind on an important issue. To look at the other colours on the palette and to think about the different opinions as it can change your mind and your perspective on life. 

– Student at the U.S. Embassy in London event

The panel comprised Annabel Gillard, an artificial intelligence and behavioural science expert; Zahed Amanullah, an expert skilled in countering hate and extremism worldwide; and Rhian Robinson, an expert in communications, public relations and social media. It was facilitated by our Senior Curriculum Developer Aneira Roose-McClew. 

The panellists shared their insights on the media and information landscape, their concerns about the detrimental impacts of misinformation, disinformation and mal-information, and tips on how young people can constructively engage with the online world.

Meta and other networks are all known to hire psychologists who have found that outrage is the thing that makes us scroll more.

– Anabel Gillard at the U.S. Embassy in London event

Zahed Amanullah shared information about how the Muslim community in Harrogate used social media to prepare for, and then challenge, an Islamophobic disinformation campaign that began in response to a plan to establish a local mosque. The community used social media channels to engage in constructive outreach with residents and to ‘pre-bunk’ disinformation arguments that they anticipated would arise after the planning application for the mosque was submitted, enabling them to get ahead of false and hostile narratives. They also used social media to challenge attacks, coordinate with allies and supporters, including other faith organisations, and to share their story. 

In response to hearing Amanullah’s case study, Kyle, a student at the event from Westbourne School, reflected on how ‘social media allows small communities … to speak for themselves, like explaining what they believe and who they are’.

To learn more about how Harrogate’s Muslim community countered hate and Islamophobia, read Zahed Amanullah’s blog ‘Islamophobia versus places of worship: How one community fought back against disinformation’.

After the panel, students participated in a lesson called Confronting Misinformation, Disinformation and Mal-information contained within the unit.

They learnt about methods that are used to spread misinformation, disinformation and mal-information, and tips that they can use to avoid falling prey to these types of information disorder, and, in the words of student Kyle, the ‘traps laid across social media platforms’.

What are you going to feed this next generation of knowledge that’s going to be absorbed into the next generation of AI. Are you going to feed positive thoughts? Positive interactions? Positive engagements? Stories of real life, of real life communities and experiences? Or is it going to be filled with hate, suspicion, prejudice - all of that? So that part is really up to you, literally connected to what content you produce. What are you going to put out there to be absorbed into this ecosystem? All of that will have an impact on your offline experiences. Now that those things are inextricably connected, it's more important than ever to feed the beast with something positive, rather than to just be passive. 

– Zahed Amanullah, addressing the students at the U.S. Embassy in London event

Since the 1st October event, Facing History UK has run a one-hour webinar Supporting Students to Engage with Social Media in Healthy and Constructive Ways, which outlines strategies and resources to help students navigate the world of social media. The webinar features a talk from social media expert Drew Benvie, who is the founder of the communications agency Battenhall and who wrote the first entry on Wikipedia for social media in 2006.

We have also run workshops to highlight how our unit Developing Media Literacy for Well-being, Relationships and Democracy can be used to support schools to fulfil a range of statutory and non-statutory obligations, and the curriculum needs of specific subjects. 

The unit supports schools in meeting the requirements related to:

• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024;
• Teaching Online Safety in Schools;
• Promoting Fundamental British Values as Part of SMSC;
• The Prevent Strategy;
• The Education Inspection Framework for September 2024;
• The Media Studies GCSE Subject Content;
• Personal, Social, Health and Economic education, including Relationships and Sex Education. 

Facing History UK can provide whole school training on this unit. If this is of interest, please email uk [at] facinghistory.org for further information.