When I was in school I remember tests frequently having a reading comprehension component. I always liked this section because I was pretty good at it. I think when practicing reading comprehension skills there should also be some element of developing a skill for bias detection. This occurred to me as I'm now hearing and seeing campaign ads everywhere. Campaign ads make their bias obvious by saying who they are in favor of and who they don't like. I would say that most information we receive has a bias and often times it is not as clear as a campaign ad. For example in school we are taught that certain sources are acceptable for research and paper writing purposes but the reasons for their credibility aren't always clear. They may use legitimate facts in their stories but without examining their bias can we really use the information responsibly? Even in a news story that would claim to just be relating the facts of what happened can communicate a very subtle bias by the use of a couple adjectives.
Obviously we can't eliminate bias, and we shouldn't. But I think students should be learning how to detect it. When they read or hear things they should be equipped with an evaluation process that encourages them to ask questions like: Who is putting out this information and why are they doing it? Is there potentially more facts or another side to this story that isn't being given? and why is that? Is the source known for feeling a certain way about things? Is some specific action being encouraged? if so what would be the result of that action?
How wary are you of bias in the information you receive? I know I have certain sources of info that I trust more than others but I think due diligence is still important before we let some one guide our beliefs or actions.
3 comments:
The state agrees with you, as several of the 11th grade English standards deal with this very topic. It's a difficult skill to teach but definitely an important one!
That's good that it is in the standards.
That brings up another point. I wonder how in the know parents are about what their kids are supposed to be learning. In elementary school it is a little easier to logically figure out what your kids will cover in each grade, but once a kid is in junior high or high school I would bet most parents don't know what the standards are and how to guage how well their kids are doing.
That's a really interesting point. They're available online, and I try to put the standard(s) being addressed in the footnotes of my handouts/assignment sheets, but I would guess that you're right. Maybe I'll put a link to the ELA standards on my website. I doubt many parents or students will click it, but it's a good start.
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