edWeb Webinar: “Avoiding the Rabbit Hole: Teaching Concepts in Conspiratorial Thinking”

In this virtual edWebinar on Sept. 2nd, join subject matter expert John Silva and Shaelynn Farnsworth of the News Literacy Project for a conversation about conspiracy theories.

Register here for this free presentation at edWeb.

Conspiracy theories are becoming part of mainstream discourse and public awareness. From QAnon to pandemic-related beliefs to older ideas such as the Earth is flat, we are finding that more and more of our friends, family and loved ones believe at least one conspiracy theory. How do we teach students to avoid conspiracy theories without actually teaching them the specifics of such false beliefs?

This edWebinar explores the psychological and cognitive factors behind conspiratorial thinking, including the role of fears and anxiety, cognitive dissonance and biases, motivated reasoning and institutional cynicism. We will discuss the ways in which conspiracy theories exploit our emotions as well as fill our emotional needs. As part of the presentation, we will outline essential learning objectives and concepts and provide instructional resources for integrating these concepts into the curriculum, including our free, interactive lesson which is part of the Checkology® virtual classroom.

This edWebinar will be of interest to teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders of the middle school through higher education levels. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

Contact

Please email any questions to Shaelynn Farnsworth ([email protected]) or John Silva ([email protected]).