Young people today are growing up in a world full of information. Some of that information is factually correct, and some of that information is false. False information might be created by artificial intelligence with some human prompting, or the information can be entirely human-generated.
Then, because of the way algorithms work, false content is often amplified because it is designed to create a response in people, which leads the false content to receive more clicks and thus show up on more people’s feeds and in the spaces they spend time online. This is what we often call misinformation or disinformation. Those two terms may be used interchangeably, but there is a slight difference. Misinformation is false information, while disinformation is false information that was created to purposefully mislead.
Misinformation and disinformation is not a new, but it can be challenging to decide the best ways to address it in schools. As artificial intelligence expands and more false content can be easily developed, the importance of teaching students strategies for fact-checking is critical.
Note: Although many of the examples in this article refer to teaching students, the same principles apply in professional settings.
What is the SIFT Method?
The SIFT Method developed by Mike Caulfield is one strategy that can be taught and used by anyone to check the accuracy of information they see online.
SIFT is an acronym that stands for Stop, Investigate the Source, Find Better Coverage, and Trace claims, quotes and media to the original context. I encourage you to read the linked document, and I have included other resources on SIFT below.
What makes SIFT effective is how easy it is to use in the classroom. I find SIFT to be very practical.
Stop is the perfect first step when students find something new online. When students see content that grabs their attention or triggers an emotional response, teach them to pause before clicking. This simple pause prevents them from falling into a rabbit hole of false or misleading information.
Investigate the Source is where students ask: Where does this information come from? Who created or shared it? This step requires lateral reading—a key skill where students open new browser tabs to research the source rather than just scrolling through the original webpage. Students should search for what other websites say about this source to understand whether it is trustworthy.
Find Better Coverage means teaching students to search for the same topic on other websites. Can they find the information reported by sources you have identified as reliable? As their teacher, you will need to provide examples of reliable sources (like major news outlets, academic institutions, or government agencies) and explain why these sources are trustworthy.
Trace to the Original is the final step where students track information back to its origin—the actual speech, interview, study, or document being referenced. This helps students verify that claims are accurate and have not been taken out of context or distorted.
If you are looking for ways to teach K-12 (or older) students strategies for evaluating online content, SIFT is a good strategy to use. The four-step process is something that students can remember and apply outside the classroom, which is what we ultimately hope occurs with any instruction.
Additional Resources on the SIFT Method
- A SIFT Lesson Plan: On the TCEA Blog
- SIFT Sources: From Common Sense Media
- The SIFT Method: Resource from the University of Chicago
- The SIFT Strategy: Article from the BBC
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