In today’s complex online world, we must coach pupils to help them distinguish truth from fiction, says Cumnor House Sussex Headmaster Fergus Llewellyn
Like many people across the country, I loved watching The Traitors series earlier this year. Edge-of-your seat moments, great intrigue, high levels of dramatic irony – it contained all the ingredients of must-watch TV. Yet underpinning it are issues that are relevant to what we are all exposed to in modern life. Trust. Manipulation. Friendship. Honour. Conviction. And above all, Truth.
From a young age, children have always had to learn that the world is not perfect and that things are not always what they seem. I am dreading the moment that my daughter finds out that the tooth fairy is not real. This kind of thing is not new. What is new is the proliferation of lies, misinformation, disinformation, and the sophistication of the manipulation children now experience through social media and AI.
To simply observe the way in which reactions to events in Trump’s America have been so starkly different and so compellingly expressed is to see this issue writ large. Relative truth and absolute truth, or indeed relative truth and absolute lies, have become so entangled that a young mind is going to find it harder and harder to navigate. We need to teach our children about the truth more than ever.
At Cumnor, we see this as a threefold problem and, while I cannot claim to have solved things by any stretch of the imagination, we have begun a journey to be more overt in our teaching about truth. The first issue can be summarised by ‘know your enemy’, or as Sun Tzu once wrote, ‘If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles’. Explicit teaching to educate our young people in how social media algorithms work, as well as working with our parents to help them set clear boundaries at home, are well established at Cumnor.
Looking ahead, we are developing a range of off-timetable, practical activities, such as giving our children the opportunity to take part in ‘be an influencer for a day’ simulations to give them real-world experience of the pros and cons of running a business on social media. We are also expanding our programme of speakers to include digital ethicists, data scientists and journalists.
The second skill is not new – but more vital than ever before – namely, critical thinking. This starts right from a young age when we help children to differentiate fact from opinion or fiction. It includes developing more sophisticated reading skills and a critical mindset that allows them to ask the right questions and create a healthy scepticism about the information they receive.
“Relative truth and absolute truth have become so entangled that a young mind is going to find it harder and harder to navigate”
One of the key components of our Year 7 and 8 curriculum, Kudos, centres on self-reflection. This is not simply reviewing the outcome of a project, but actively noting what was challenging, the dynamics of working with others, adaptations for next time and new targets. Cumnor pupils build familiarity with regular reflection from an early age. Year 3 sees the introduction of STEER Tracking, a digital mental health tool used to delve beneath the surface and support wellbeing. Pausing to be more aware of ourselves and our own biases or influences – to really think – is vital. Finding the time for reflection in an outcome-focused world is important. Efficiency is highly prized, but not always helpful.
The third is perhaps hardest to achieve, but perhaps the most important, and that is creating a culture of passionate curiosity for the truth. Watching The Traitors, admittedly only a game, you are struck by the vehemence and determination of the contestants as they seek the truth, the deep disappointment when they get it wrong, and the joyous celebration when truth is revealed. Schools have had this culture in various fields – including scientific enquiry, philosophical debate, historical source evaluation and geographical data analysis. Last term, one of our phrases for the week was ‘The only thing that can be improved upon is the truth’.
Ultimately, for culture to shift, it has to come from the top, and a curriculum development project is underway at Cumnor to meet this aspiration. This is not about scepticism or distrust, but empowering with understanding and educating for truth, wisdom and responsible citizenship.
Our world is far from full of grace and truth right now, but our children deserve practical measures that can help them try and achieve it.
Cumnor House Sussex cumnor.co.uk
Further reading: Online and legal – why children need digital education
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