Register for Africa Check’s free fact-checking and misinformation literacy programme for high school educators

As learners move from one social media platform to the next, they are flooded with online information every day. Do you have the skills to help them distinguish between what is true and what is not? 

Africa Check, the continent’s first fact-checking organisation, is offering a free online training-of-trainers fact-checking programme for South African high school principals, deputy principals, department heads and educators. The programme was created as part of a project aimed at building a generation of responsible media consumers in South Africa. The objective of the training is to equip educators with the knowledge to teach their learners the critical-thinking skills they need to recognise and stop the spread of dis- and misinformation. 

The training covers the following:

• An introduction to fact-checking and misinformation literacy: how and why false information spreads, identifying dis- and misinformation, and verifying the origin of images and videos
• Why traditional media literacy is not enough to protect learners against false information: the six components of misinformation literacy that will provide learners with the knowledge and skills needed to identify and dismiss false information
• How to teach learners critical-thinking and fact-checking skills: an introduction to Africa Check’s resources that you can use in the classroom  

Learning outcomes:

After completing the programme, participants will be able to:

• Understand how and why false information spreads 
• Identify false information online 
• Use offline and online verification tools and skills to verify the origin of images and videos   
• Provide learners with the skills and knowledge to do all of the above 
• Differentiate between traditional media literacy and misinformation literacy  
• Understand the need for and aims of misinformation literacy 
• Use Africa Check’s fact-checking and misinformation literacy resources in the classroom 

Each programme consists of either three 90-minute online sessions or two 2.5-hour sessions. Participants can choose to attend one of the three programmes listed below. Please note that you have to be available to attend all sessions that form part of the programme you choose.