Teacher Training: Media Literacy in the Age of Fake News

Working with professional journalists and scientists, The da Vinci Pursuit is providing teachers and educators with training in media literacy, pedagogical strategies, and hands-on activities that help students understand the role of journalism in providing accurate and ethical information from the field of science to the public. Participants will receive materials and activities that can be used in the classroom.

Science is a complicated subject, consisting of multiple branches with their own specialized language. In a world where there is an ever increasing proliferation of media outlets and formats, it is important that Indiana teachers be well-prepared to educate their students on how to judge the accuracy, appropriateness, and fairness of media reporting on science. The daVinci Pursuit will provide three workshops for Indiana educators that will bring media and science experts together to provide teachers with background that will help them bring a better understanding of how to judge media stories concerning the sciences.

Local experts leading these workshops are:

Sarah Bowman - Journalist, Indianapolis Star
Jill Ditmire - Journalist, WFYI
Dr. Andrew Gavrin, Ph.D. - Science Educator, Physics, IUPUI
Dr. Melanie Fox, Ph.D. - Science Educator, Biology, The da Vinci Pursuit

Registration is limited to 25 participants per session and is free for all Indiana educators.

The workshops fit under the following standards: Standard 1: Historical Perspectives Standard 2: Mass Media and Society Standard 3: Governance, Law, and Ethics Standard 4: Media Literacy Standard 5: Writing About Mass Media Standard 6: Research Standard 7: Consumers of Mass Media Information

This program has been made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities.