During the months of May and June, FCV carried out five workshops about the topic of critical reading, digital literacy and critical thinking. The workshops took place at Jonqueres Institute in Sabadell and in Celestí Bellera High School, with the participation of 41 students.
Critical reading is a reading that is done in an analytical way, analyzing what is expressed in the text to verify its accuracy or falseness and the ways in which the information is presented. The purpose of these workshops was to present this concept to the students, given the fact that having the capacity of critical reading and thinking is an essential skill in our current media climate in which we are constantly bombarded with information and it is increasingly more difficult to distinguish between, for example, facts and opinions that are presented in the news. Therefore, our objective was to develop certain capacities among the participants so they could be able to interact with the text, the images and the headlines while analyzing and critically evaluating the contents of the news and relating them to their values, experiences and previous knowledge.
During the workshops we explored different aspects of critical reading. For example, we discussed the selection of the images in the newspapers, the headlines, the perspective or perception they are showcasing and the type of effect they have on the reader. In addition, with the contribution of all the participants, we create a list of “golden rules” that would help to detect false headlines.
All the workshops were done in a participatory manner in which the students play in interactive exercises aimed at maximizing the understanding of the topics and initiating a deeper thought process among to the media literacy. The workshops helped to awake an interest in the students and motivate them to think about how they can improve their skills in order to be able to navigate within the information in the news and in the media in general.
The FCV is very satisfied with the results of the workshops and pleased to have had the opportunity to create and carry out them.