Welcome to my project-based learning & inquiry classroom!
Exploring "Memes, Logical Fallacies, & Current Events" in the Classroom!
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Social media has morphed into a breeding ground for misinformation and polarization. If you don't believe me, just check out the comment section of any news article. No platform has been exempt from this transformation: not Facebook, not Twitter, not YouTube. A key culprit in this culture of misinformation is the internet meme due to how quickly they can be shared person to person, and platform to platform.
Like all mediums, memes can communicate a seemingly infinite number of messages and sentiments. They can feature everything from "Grumpy Cat" jokes to logical fallacy fueled racist rhetoric. Unfortunately, not everyone sticks to "Grumpy Cat"! Too many people delve into the murky world of fallacious reasoning and malicious political commentary. As a teacher, I felt compelled to be a force for change in this arena.
My primary intention behind this project was for students to develop a keen awareness regarding logical fallacies and their various manifestations. I wanted to help students not only recognize them in others' words, but in their own arguments as well.
HOW DID I SCAFFOLD THE PROJECT?
1. Introductory Provocation: To start, I posed this question to my class: "What might the connection be between the polarization of society and social media?" I allotted students five minutes to discuss with one or two others. We then discussed the question at length. This is not some abstract question, students' live this polarization everyday. Their firsthand experiences with social media resulted in a productive discussion.
Next, I showed this short, provocative video (https://youtu.be/vGx5n_CX72M) narrated by Tristan Harris, a former Google employee and a leading figure in technological ethics. He has recently gained acclaim for his work on the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma.
2. Preliminary Look at Logical Fallacies: Next, we dove into logical fallacies, the philosophical content at the heart of this project. I played this video to give students a preliminary glimpse at logical fallacies in their diverse forms. I didn't expect them to hastily memorize the various varieties, but rather to get a feel for what we'd be working with!
3. Creating a political speech using logical fallacies: I've never been a proponent of rote memorization as a means to learn concepts. Instead I lean on creation. Since I began teaching Philosophy 12, I've hosted a lighthearted competition called the "Red Herring Award," as a means to have students learn the diverse forms that logical fallacies take. This competition has students break in to groups of two or three and craft a speech employing as many logical fallacies as they can.
Students' speeches must answer this question: Why should your political party run the country? I emphasize the speeches should be lighthearted and satirical. This year's winners were the Anti-Political Party and the Uneducated Party.
4. Analyzing Memes: I projected a series of memes and had students analyze them through the lens of the four questions at the heart of the project:
1. What current event is your meme commenting on?
2. Which logical fallacies does your meme employ?
3. What might the potential impact(s) of your meme spreading be?
4. What can we, as responsible social media users, do to limit that impact?
By participating in this activity, students practiced the analysis expected of them in the formal assessment.
POST-PROJECT REFLECTIONS:
Students impressed me with their completed projects.First of all, they demonstrated a proficient understanding of logical fallacies and current events. But more than that, students demonstrated impressive critical thinking in how they explained the potential impact of memes and how they, as responsible social media users, could potentially limit the spread of malicious memes and their misinformation.
Though I anchored this project to the concept of logical fallacies, This project could be adapted to a variety of content and subject areas. Just browse BC's curricular documents and make the necessary adjustments!
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