The EU is proposing new hands-on guidelines to foster digital literacy and critical thinking in primary and secondary education.
The developments in the use of digital communication and media over the last years have created incredible opportunities and enabled to connect in the most immediate and easy way. However, these developments brought along the challenges of disinformation and so called ‘fake news’. While this is not a new phenomenon, the rate of spread and the number of people exposed to disinformation is unprecedented. The Russian information warfare accompanying their invasion of Ukraine has made this challenge particularly acute in Europe. While there are many ways of addressing disinformation, such as AI detection and deletion, or the regulation of social and digital media, EU policy makers agree that education and training is key in combating disinformation in a sustainable way. Only by increasing digital literacy and strengthening critical thinking from early age on societal resilience to disinformation can be built up.
The European Commission (EC) has identified this as a priority and set targets and actions in this regard. The EU Digital Education Action Plan (DEAP), adopted in 2020, includes an action on fostering digital literacy (action 7). To achieve this, the EC set up a dedicated expert group in 2021 to conduct a study and propose concrete guidelines on the role of education in addressing disinformation. On 11 October 2022, the expert group concluded their work and published their final report on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy. The report is accompanied by Guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training.
The expert group report makes it clear that the effective and responsible use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is essential for lifelong learning and to become active citizens; and that education institutions are in the best position to foster digital literacy and critical thinking. According to an OECD study on digital literacy from 2021, 54% of young people across OECD countries learn at school how to identify “whether information is subjective or biased”. The EU report finds that one of the main challenges of many digital literacy initiatives is that they focus only on the technical aspect of how social media works, and not enough on teaching critical thinking to analyse content. Another main challenge is that teachers are often not trained in teaching digital literacy, along with a general lack of guidance for teachers on this topic. This is rendered more difficult as technology is evolving constantly, and continued teacher education needs to adapt.
The report puts forward a number of recommendations for teachers and policy makers. The experts suggest that a student-centred learning approach is the most effective in fostering digital literacy, with teachers giving context, space for reflection and support. Pupils can contribute with their experience in social media, as it “can be the basis for further learning”. The creation of a safe space and a well guided discussion in the classroom are important because disinformation topics can provoke strong reactions and emotions. The report further recommends integrating teaching about digital literacy in all initial teacher education programmes, as currently it is mostly a topic for continued professional development.
The guidelines are based on the report and aim to generate a better understanding of digital literacy, to promote the responsible use of digital technologies, to raise awareness of disinformation, and to provide insight into how digital literacy can be assessed. The guidelines are very concrete and written for teachers. They include 16 practical tips on game-based learning, assessing digital literacy and engaging parents, as well as 12 activity plans on assessing information, tracing digital footprints and fact-checking. Further, the guidelines provide insights on digital pedagogy and notes on discussing controversial topics.
The guidelines are also available in German and French and can be used freely.