We offer media literacy training to educators in the United States. The curriculum uses our proven Learn to Discern methodology.

Learn to Discern helps teachers address the problems that students face today, such as navigating social media newsfeeds, determining which sources are reliable, distinguishing between facts and opinions, and becoming better digital citizens.

Unlike traditional approaches to teaching media literacy, Learn to Discern was designed for a polarized, hyperconnected, and impatient world.

We offer three customizable training options for teachers who wish to use Learn to Discern in their classrooms.

Introductory session (90 minutes)

• Information overload: Why everyone is overwhelmed by the newsfeed
• My media landscape: A tool to evaluate information consumption
• Emotional manipulation in headlines

Half-day workshop

• Information overload: Why everyone is overwhelmed by the newsfeed
• My media landscape: A tool to evaluate information consumption
• Emotional manipulation in headlines
• Which is it? News vs. opinion
• The types of misinformation every student should know
• Check it out: How to verify information online

Two-day professional learning

• Information overload: Why everyone is overwhelmed by the newsfeed
• My media landscape: A tool to evaluate information consumption
• Emotional manipulation in headlines
• Which is it? News vs. opinion
• The types of misinformation every student should know
• Check it out: How to verify information online
• New forms of media and changes in traditional media
• What’s the difference? Propaganda, social advertising, public relations, advertising, and informing
• Checking your emotions: How media manipulates
• Spot the manipulation: Photo alteration
• Fake social media accounts
• Understanding science and health news
• Video manipulation (The future: You’re leading the way)

Sample lesson plan:

• Media Literacy: An Introductory Lesson (569 KB, PDF)
• PowerPoint slides for the introductory lesson (4.4 MB, PPTX) 

Contact us to discuss which option is right for you.

Request a Free Consultation

Learn to Discern has proven effective with students. An evaluation of eighth- and ninth-grade students in 50 schools found that students who were exposed to the curriculum were twice as likely to detect hate speech and 18% better at identifying fake news stories, compared to a control group of their peers. The evaluation was featured in NPR, The New Republic, and The Atlantic.

In contrast, the effects of traditional media literacy programs typically wane after one year, according to prior studies. Traditional approaches have also been criticized for teaching students to use lengthy, outdated checklists instead of teaching students to think like fact-checkers.

Matt Vanderwerff
Senior Technical Advisor
IREX, 1275 K Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
mvanderwerff@irex.org