The CoMMiTTed project, co-funded by Erasmus+, offers a number of training resources to help teachers develop and hone critical analysis skills in relation to (fake) media and discourse.

The project notes that in the context of different crises and increased perceived social polarisation, minorities and migrants are often unjustly blamed for causing social, educational, health, and economic problems. The dissemination of fake news and hate discourse, particularly among younger people, has been exacerbated by the rapid use of digital media, social media networks, text messages, memes, viral videos and advertising, among others. At the same time, media literacy has not been incorporated into mainstream education.

CoMMiTTed offers a solution by creating a number of resources for teacher education, detailed below.

Pedagogic Observatory of Fake News

The Pedagogic Observatory of Fake News is an online resource which offers analysis and deconstructs news which falsely link migrants and minorities to the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies. The observatory includes 5 case studies from the countries included in the project – Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

Online teacher education modules

The project produced 2 online teacher education modules. The modules can be used by teachers in training, as well as by teachers working with their students.

Developing intercultural competence through the analysis of fake news on migrants and minorities is the first, more theoretical module, which focuses on fostering the skills for interpreting and relating to ‘otherness’. It is made up of 5 parts which include:

• Part 1, Discovery activities (8 hours) – identifying and analysing fake news
• Part 2, Theoretical documentation (4 hours) – how dis/mis-information shapes our beliefs about minorities and migrants
• Part 3, Empirical analysis (3 hours) – identifying the mechanisms leading to stereotyping and 'othering' of minorities and migrants
• Part 4, Didactic implementation (13 hours) – an ‘escape room’ activity that deconstructs the processes of 'othering' in the media
• Part 5, Synthesis/Evaluation

The second module, From detecting to using fake news as pedagogical tools in educational settings, explores the pedagogical potential of misleading content and addresses the development of intercultural competence as key to dealing with ‘othering’. The module includes:

• Part 1, Awareness raising (3 hours) – addressing the difficulties of identifying fake news
• Part 2, Learning about fake news (4 hours) – understanding the production and consumption of fake news, developing knowledge for teaching
• Part 3, Hands on (4 hours) – compiling and revising a list of criteria for identifying fake news
• Part 4, Transforming fake news into pedagogical resources (7-11 hours) – designing a learning activity that makes use of fake news to promote intercultural competence
• Part 5 – reflection and assessment (2 hours)

E-handbook for teachers and teacher trainers

Finally, an E-handbook for teachers and teacher educators compiles information on fake news and provides ideas on how to use the ComMMiTTED resources, both in teacher education programmes and in school. It also offers a glossary of essential terms.