Birkbeck’s ‘Fake or Real News?’ workshop: enhancing critical thinking skills and digital awareness
Despite an overall increase in digital access in the community, advice on how to navigate the online sphere and effectively evaluate any information presented is less accessible.
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Laura Bradnam
Senior Community Engagement Officer
Birkbeck’s ‘Fake or Real News?’ workshop was created in response to community partners' concerns around the next stage of digital upskilling – not simply access, but inclusivity and safety. Low vaccine uptake and the dissemination of fake news during the pandemic was a key issue for local authorities.
Birkbeck experts understood these signals and diagnosed the need to enhance critical thinking skills in an inclusive and accessible way, whilst also providing an opportunity to demonstrate how skills used within education and everyday life share many similarities. The short workshop-style sessions have been delivered at community venues as well as the British Library, ensuring they are low commitment and accessible to the audiences who may not yet have much commitment or desire to engage with higher education institutions.
Workshops with impact
Participants learn critical thinking skills through analysing fake news case studies, to enable them to navigate the digital world. Many participants soon find that the topic resonates with them, bringing their own anecdotal experiences and examples of scams and fake news to the conversation. This enables our facilitators to demonstrate to attendees that they are already critical thinkers in practice, bolstering confidence in their skills and their ability to converse and debate. Participants have often entered the workshops cautious of their abilities but left with a shift in mindset and confidence to leverage their skillsets beyond the context of the session, perhaps through job interviews or further education applications.
Support our work
Through regular funding, Birkbeck can continue our efforts to enhance digital awareness and critical thinking skills in a variety of community settings whilst simultaneously instilling confidence in learning abilities and educational skills amongst underrepresented groups. Contact Birkbeck's Innovation Unit to discuss the ways you can support this initiative, or to explore collaboration opportunities.