Teaching Children To Assess Information And Opinions

 

All parents and caregivers have a responsibility to teach their children how to assess information and opinions, especially in today's world where misinformation, deceptions, and biased perspectives, are spreading like harmattan fire. By developing critical thinking and reasoning skills, children can learn to evaluate information effectively and make informed decisions. 

* Key strategies

1. Modeling critical thinking:

Adults can model critical thinking and reasoning by discussing their own thought processes and how they evaluate information. This helps children understand the importance of analyzing information and forming opinions based on evidence.

2. Analyzing new articles:

Reading and discussing new article publications with appropriate topics for child development can help them distinguish between facts and opinions. By identifying biases and evaluating evidence, children can develop a more nuanced understanding of complex issues.

3. Encouraging inquiry:

Parents and caregivers should teach children to ask questions like, "What's the source of this information?", "Is this a fact or an opinion?", "Should I believe this information?", and "What's the evidence to support this claim?"

4. Use real-world experiences:

Use everyday real-world examples, such as advertisement or opinion columns, to illustrate the differences between facts and opinions. 

* Activities to develop critical thinking and reasoning:

1. Newspaper analysis:

Read newspapers and articles often with your child and discuss some useful contents with him/ her, identifying facts and opinions.

2. Opinions column analysis:

Analyze an opinion column together, discussing the writing techniques and evidence used to support the author's opinion. If the parent or caregiver is educated, he/ she should endeavour to monitor the child's pronunciation skills, find areas where the child needs correction, and also use the same opportunity to teach the child the 8 Parts of Speech and Figures of Speech as well. Ask the child why the article writer wrote it the way he/ she did. Find out the major substance(s) of the article and inform the child. Find out with the child if the article was written based on facts or fiction.

3. Essay writing:

Ask your child to write an essay based on facts found in the article, using evidence to support his/ her argument. In this case, the parent or caregiver should provide the child with a note book for the essay writing purposes. By so doing, the child will learn how to assess, evaluate, and dissect a write-up, and write an essay or summary on it. Secondly, the child will learn how to argue or present issues logically and convincingly. Thirdly, the child will learn how to view and understand issues independently, and not to rely on another person's analysis or recommendations for drawing inferences or conclusions on matters.

4. Debates and discussions:

Occasionally, a child should be engaged in a debate and discussion on national or international topics, encouraging him/ her to evaluate information and form opinions based on empiric evidence. Let the child stand before the parent or caregiver to make a speech on the subject matter found in the newspaper. If children are not taught to communicate publicly right from childhood, they may not be good public speakers when they get to adulthood. No matter how talented a child may be, he/ she cannot find it easy to stand before people to communicate with them convincingly, if he/ she had not been taught the rudiments of public speaking at the earlier age at home.

* Best practices for assessments 

1. Ongoing observation:

Regularly observe and document children's progress, using this information to inform leading practices. 

2. Developmentally-appropriate assessments:

Use assessment methods that are responsive to children's developmental accomplishments, language, and experiences.

3. Multiple sources of information:

Use multiple sources of information, including observations, work samples, and performance tasks, to get a comprehensive picture of children's learning. 

4. Collaboration with families:

Work with families to set goals and develop assessment plans that reflect children's individual needs and progress.

In conclusion, by incorporating these proven strategies and activities into everyday life, children can undoubtedly develop the critical thinking and reasoning skills needed to effectively assess information and opinions, making them more intelligent, informed, and discerning individuals.

Please, kindly share this post with your friends and loved ones. Thank you very much.