Why were you interested in taking part in NewsWise?
It is very important that children learn about the news so that they develop empathy and understanding towards others and become interested and active citizens. For our children, many of whom live on remote farms, and all living in a very homogenous white area, news education helps them to gain a more global view and see beyond the limitations of their surroundings. With the prevalence of social media and fake news stories, it is vital that children are educated to think critically and to challenge and dig deeper to avoid misinformation spreading.
Are there any stand out moments from your involvement with NewsWise?
Stand out moments were definitely the in-person workshops. Seeing the children gain confidence speaking aloud in their broadcasts was brilliant.
Has the programme built your confidence around discussing the news and teaching news writing?
Absolutely. I was learning along with the children when spotting real/fake stories and my teaching of news writing has become forever altered! I will always use real stories and can see so many applications for utilising these real life local events to support writing with a purpose. We have since made watching Newsround part of our daily routine too. As a teacher, learning how real news reports are written in the teacher workshop was fascinating.
What was the most impactful part of NewsWise for your pupils?
For many pupils it was the focus on discussion and oracy over writing. They enjoyed having specific roles for some activities too, seeing how everyone is valuable as part of a team. Some have started reading and watching the news more and bring in articles they have found of interest. Oracy is a focus for our school and this project definitely improved their confidence when speaking aloud.
Has the way the school approaches news and media literacy changed as a result of taking part in the project?
With the school vision drivers including broadening children’s knowledge of the wider world, news literacy has become a key way through which we can achieve this aim for our students. My teaching of writing news reports has altered and I will be using the medium of news to help teach cohesion and concise writing, showing children how sentence structure is very different for the purpose of imparting news.
