Life Lessons: Teach Students to Apply Critical Thinking Online
by Chris Gustafson
"Tupac's still alive. I read on the Internet that somebody saw him in Cleveland."
"If I don't pass on this e-mail to ten friends, I'll have bad luck."
"There was a message on the screen that said, 'Click Here for antivirus protection.' So I did."
"I answered that e-mail from my bank and confirmed my account information."
"I met this cool guy online who wants to take me out."
Savvy and safe computer users? Students think they are, but even the most responsible can shed their skepticism once they're online.
Why are Critical Thinking Skills Important Online?
Teaching students to apply critical thinking online provides them with a vital life skill. Minor consequences for unwary computer use might include a failing grade on the Tupac biography project or ten annoyed friends. Or students could trigger major problems by clicking a pop-up ad and downloading a virus, or responding to a phishing e-mail and having a bank account cleaned out. Simply making contact with an Internet stranger could cause emotional damage, and a face-to-face meeting could result in physical harm. That's why students need to be taught about what to believe online.
How to Help Your Students Use Critical Thinking Skills Online
How can you integrate critical thinking skills into your lessons? Here are a few suggestions:
- Show your students a Web site designed to help develop critical thinking skills. At http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus, they'll be introduced to the plight of the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. There's an engaging tree octopus photo, a helpful habitat map, and pages for FAQs and Sightings. Challenge your students to identify at least five elements of the site that create doubt about its reliability. One clue that students should notice is prominent mention of a conservation group called Greenpeas.
- Require annotated bibliographies for class projects. Accepting all online sources leads to uncritical research, while limiting sources to only databases is unrealistically rigid. Instead, brainstorm a list of the characteristics of a reliable Web site. Make sure students are aware of the helpful information on the About Us page. It's available on most sites, and can include background on the sponsoring organization, author information, and a mission statement. Teach students to write two-three sentences about each source in their bibliography, identifying possible bias and explaining why the source should be trusted.
- Promote the "Common Sense" test for online information. Persistently model asking questions like these with your students. Could an octopus live in a tree? Does good luck comes from forwarding e-mail messages? Do reputable businesses ask for personal information online? Is it safe to arrange a meeting with a stranger?
You may even persuade the die-hard Tupac fans to cross-check their source.
