One of the first principles of democracy is freedom of speech under a rule of law. The freedom to express one’s views without fear of harassment or violence.
One of the key principles of civilisation is the ability to respond to another’s opinion constructively and respectfully – whether you agree with the initial opinion or not. There are, of course, constraints – namely the use of hate speech, classified material or incitement to violence.
Increasingly, it feels as if both principles are under threat – particularly in public discourse. From extreme views and movements to pile-ons and cancel culture. The average user spends around seven hours a day on the internet, consuming these battles and many of these users are our children.
“The principle of freedom of speech is increasingly under threat.”
How can we put into place the steps to ensure that they have the strategies and the evaluative skills to discern the true from the untrue? To protect themselves from being manipulated but, even more, to thrive in the richest jungle of information that the world has ever seen. Particularly when the evolution of AI means that “Truth” and the origin of the materials we’re consuming is so much harder to discern.
This was very much in my mind when we created our Social Discourse unit in my own school Oxford High School. As head, I teach every tutor group in Year 7 to get to know them and, last year, my two lessons a week were dedicated to developing a critical mind and the skills to connect with others positively.
We start in Year 7 because that is when many students gain their first smartphone and access to the internet. We want to make sure that they are ready and prepared for what they may see.
We begin by questioning what “truth” is, how do we establish it, as well as the greater question of: how we distinguish when both sides of an argument see their side as “the” truth?
In a world where much discussion is polarised and often extreme, I invite students to assume the positions of a fisherwoman, chef, or wildlife activist in a classroom discussion about whether fishing should be banned. The students’ realisation that the truth is not necessarily a constant, is the first step.
“Lessons are dedicated to developing a critical mind and the skills to connect with others positively.”
Next, we begin to question our sources, leaning into the nature of “Fake News” and how to distinguish between real and fake reports. That change of perspective and the realisation that we must question not just the nature of an image, “fact” or story, but also its validity, is a pivotal moment.
Increasingly, as consumers of news, we are required to undertake this process ourselves. It is vital that we prepare our students for this new reality including understanding of how to report and block users and content they find upsetting – and to share that with trusted adults in their lives.
We look at how we can put our views across clearly and cogently and have a debate where we practise how to “disagree well” and to appreciate different points of view.
Finally, we move on to one of the most important areas of the course: listening; to ourselves and those around us. I explicitly teach the skills of active listening: mirroring speech, eye contact and body language to demonstrate that you are focusing on the person speaking.
“Social media invites users to transmit, more than connect.”
There are too many examples of this not happening in public debate: the nature of social media invites users to transmit, more than connect; Student Unions empty-chairing speakers rather than engaging in dialogue on contentious issues.
I invite students to practise active listening with their parents at home and their feedback was illuminating:
- “I asked my mum how her day was at the hospital (she’s a nurse). She ended up explaining and asked me how my day was…’”
- “I asked my dad about his day. He was very happy but also very suspicious that I listened to him because I don’t normally ask him about his day….”
It is our job in education to prepare young people for the world: one that is rife with discord and heightened anxiety. Beyond preparing my students for the world, I want them to thrive and be agents of positive change. To do this, they need to be able to engage with the loudest, to listen to and have robust discussions with the angriest, and to seek out the quietest.
