Spotting Bias: A Lesson for Engaging Critical Readers in Nonfiction Texts
Critical Thinking Series: Part 3
Do you remember Rita Skeeter from the Harry Potter series? She was the journalist that popped up in The Goblet of Fire to report on the Triwizard Tournament (also in the movie for those of you who didn’t read the books). For the unfortunate handful of people who never read the book or saw the movie, she famously wrote sensationalized, and often untrue, stories about the contestants that would drum up intrigue, drama, and…newspaper sales.
Her reporting was - at best - a narrow view of the contestants. At its worst? It was biased, dangerous, divisive, and hurtful.
The contestants and those closest to them knew that Rita’s reporting was faulty, but the general public did not.
Rita Skeeter’s harmful reporting lives only in the wizarding world, but what is that saying about “art imitating life”? Isn’t our world actually filled with Rita Skeeters? Reporters, journalists, politicians, and content creators sometimes present information from one, narrow viewpoint. These stories can be sensationalized, untrue, biased, and written to drum up support, drama, and revenue.
In an ideal scenario, we would rid the world of the Rita Skeeters (just like Hermoine did), and put a stop to biased reporting. Our ideal world would only have information that is accurate, fair, balanced, and free from bias.
But that’s not our world, and we aren’t Hermione.
Lest we think the future is bleak, there is some hope – critical thinking. Because if we can’t trust the information we’re receiving, we can learn to trust our critical reading and thinking skills. Critical readers and thinkers learn how to spot the bias by having an awareness of the bias, and therefore, knowing how to interact with and interpret information.
What if we step into podcasts, articles, books, and videos armed with our spidey senses (whoa…jumping genres and franchises) dialed all the way up to sniff out bias, sensationalism, and inaccuracies? We need to #SpotTheSkeeters (<--this isn’t a thing, but did I just make it a thing? I made it a thing.)
To do that, let’s review what we covered in parts one and two:
One of the major facets of comprehending informational texts is understanding perspectives
The importance of raising a generation of humans who understand that their perspective is just one of many
There is a lot of information accessible but it is often composed with bias and inaccuracy
The importance of teaching children to read and think critically as they absorb this information from all angles and perspectives
Teaching readers how to understand perspective in nonfiction texts are important strategies to have in our teaching toolkits
Introduce perspective to students with two sample lessons that can be used in any classroom
Now let's understand the differences between perspective and bias.
Remember, perspective is a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something – a point of view. Bias, on the other hand, is prejudice in favor of or against one idea, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
It is widely understood that nonfiction authors write from a perspective, and there are lots of reasons for that, one of them being that it’s how they understand and view the topic. For example, a marine biologist who is passionate about protecting endangered animals might choose to write from the perspective that it is safe to swim in the ocean because shark attacks are statistically rare. Based on their passion, interests, and research, that point of view makes the most sense for them.
While it’s understood that authors write from a perspective, it is also understood that authors should give at least a little bit of airtime to the other perspectives on the topic.
So even though the information is factual and is written from the author’s belief that humans and sharks can safely coexist, to ensure that the text is fair and - at least slightly - balanced, the author will also point out that fatal shark attacks still occur on occasion.
Let’s get really real here – authors feel comfortable sharing the other side of the argument because they are often certain that their take on the topic is stronger, or at least worthy of being considered. From the author’s perspective, there should be little to no risk in sharing the contradictory theories or points of view because they believe that when the reader knows the full scope of the topic, they will inevitably agree because they effectively made their case.
As readers we should be wary when authors don’t present opposing perspectives. We should ask ourselves why only one side is presented. When we examine texts critically, and discover missing perspectives, it often leads to a follow up question - is the author trying to hide something? Does the author trust their audience? Is the author manipulating their audience?
In part one of this series, we wrote about polarization. Much of the reason for polarization is that bias is everywhere, and we, in large part, are experiencing polarization because we aren’t using our critical thinking skills and being critical consumers of information. We are inundated with so much single-sided, biased information from articles, books, videos, podcasts, etc. Pretty soon we forget that other sides and perspectives even exist. Then, the idea that there is information that contradicts becomes ludacris, and we begin to believe that other perspectives are now dangerous. What a slippery slope.
We have to stop this downward trend before we are no longer able to understand and respect different perspectives.
But, how? How can we teach the current and next generation of humans to think critically and identify bias?
Here is a lesson that you can use in your classroom tomorrow.
Lesson #3: Notice the Author’s Lens & Be Aware As You Read
(Lesson adapted from What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction by Gravity Goldberg & Renee Houser)
Now that we’ve introduced the concept of perspective and set up students to discover their personal perspective on a chosen topic, it’s time to teach them how to be aware of the author’s perspective.
It’s also a good time to talk about the difference between perspective and bias. Teaching students to recognize bias is very important. Part of being a critical reader is to look for the perspective of the author and to have their radar keenly attuned to look for bias.
Try It:
Choose a topic (you can use the topic from the last section – refer to part 2 of this series), and find information (this can be an article, book, podcast, Youtube video, etc.) where the author takes on a specific perspective. For example, an article titled “Spiders Are Helpful” would present the perspective that spiders are beneficial.
Step 1: Identify personal perspectives and build background knowledge Before reading, give students a moment to jot down their personal perspective on the topic.
Pro Tip: This is the same first step from our last lesson. It is important for critical readers to understand their personal perspective on a topic anytime they engage in a nonfiction text. The only way to recognize another perspective is to first acknowledge that there could be multiple, and the reader must be on the lookout for those other points of view at all times.
To help students think about their personal perspective, you can ask them to think about these questions:
What do I know about this topic?
What makes me curious about this topic?
What is my emotional investment in this topic?
What in my life influences my view on this topic?
Step 2: Identify the perspective the author is taking. Now it’s time to engage with the information on the topic and uncover the author’s perspective. To do this, students rely on what they know about the author’s craft moves and think about how the author’s choices are revealing their perspective on the topic. Authors (typically) do not come right out and say what their viewpoint is in a nonfiction text. The key to uncovering it is to pay close attention to what choices the author makes and how it reveals their perspective.
Possible craft moves the author uses to share their perspective are:
Word choice
Visuals
Details included
Details excluded
Voice represented (quotes, etc)
Page layout and design
Jot down the author’s choices and what you notice about those choices. You can use a chart like this to keep track of your findings:
Step 3: Look for bias (a couple of disclaimers here):
1. This aspect of a lesson will require careful selection because you are not likely to find blatantly biased information in most of the texts that are found in our classrooms (that’s by design…bias is not ideal). It may be easier to use short video clips or opinion pieces on a topic to show bias. For example: here’s a multimedia text set on rats.
2. Give yourself plenty of time to carefully select the materials you use with students before you begin this teaching. Make sure both content and the material itself are appropriate and accessible for students in all ways.
Now that you’ve had students identify their perspectives and the author’s, it’s time to turn our bias radar on and #SpotTheSkeeter. Sometimes the first indications of bias are strong gut reactions to the information. If you or your students are bristling a little bit at what you’re reading, examine where those feelings are coming from. These gut reactions are your reader’s #SpideySenses. If something feels off, it likely is. It’s likely challenging part of your belief system, your perspective.
The next step focuses less on intuition and more on providing a measured response. Below is a short list of questions for you to model thinking aloud as you read and teach students how to identify bias in a text.
Whose voice/argument is included?
Whose voice/argument is missing?
Is the information clear and balanced?
Is this unfairly weighted to one side?
Does this take an unfavorable position toward an idea, group, or person? Why? What are the reasons for this position?
As you read aloud, use the questions above to examine the information being presented by the author. Ask students to contribute their thoughts. Is there potential bias or not?
Step 4: Now what? If you identify bias in the text, that doesn’t mean we just throw out the information, but it does mean we should proceed with caution. Once we recognize there is bias, we recognize that there’s a side to this topic that is missing, a side we don’t have information about (that the author may or may not have intentionally left out).
Here is where critical thinking comes in to save the day.
A critical thinker makes decisions about what to do next by asking some questions once bias has been identified. Use the questions below to model asking questions as a critical reader. After you have modeled these questions, coach students to try it in their own texts.
Is there valuable information presented that I can learn from?
What information is missing that I should seek out to better understand the topic?
How does bias impact the overall message/main idea?
Is my own bias a factor at all when reading?
The big idea behind looking for bias is so the reader is set up to think and make their own decisions about the information they’ve read. If a reader identifies bias in the piece, even if it’s the side they most agree with, there is work to be done because they’ve acknowledged that a voice is missing. Then, it’s the job of a critical thinker to seek out the information that’s missing.
Likewise, if the biased piece goes completely against personal beliefs, there’s value in reading it because a voice and perspective has now been added to your understanding of the topic.
Do you remember the PSA from the 90s “The More You Know”? That’s what we’re going for here.
Our hope is that you are now equipped with a lesson or three that can be added to your toolkit to teach students about the importance of identifying the author’s perspective and determining if bias is present. If you want the honest truth: we can’t wait for the next generation of humans to grow up and hope that their flexible thinking, intolerance for bias, and abilities to respect multiple perspectives will save us.
However, we (the adults here) have a part to play, too.
Being a critical reader, thinker, consumer isn’t just for students…it’s for all of us. When you’re reading articles on social media ask yourself whose voice is missing and ask why? When you listen to a podcast that is sensationalized, relies on villainization, and only gives one side of an argument, ask yourself what is missing from this argument and why?
Critical thinking can change the world. And it starts with all of us.
**Special Note from Read. Write. Think. with Renee.**
This blog series was written to specifically address what is happening in education today. To be frank, we see too many educators, policymakers, and administrators not using critical thinking skills when it comes to the media-driven version of the Science of Reading. We wrote this series because real life students are being used as pawns in a larger story that has been driven by biased reporting, cherry-picked research, and politics.
Education and instructional methods are - and should be - in a constant state of evolution. Part of our work as educators is to study teaching practices in real time with students. When we observe that certain practices make a bigger impact than others, we evolve because after all, we are all in the business of student growth.
We mention this to emphasize that we are not opposed to changing teaching methods, instructional strategies, or curriculum resources.
What we are against is wide sweeping policy changes that are largely based on journalists who are stirring the embers of ungrounded claims that in the end strip educators of the autonomy to be the decision maker in their classroom.
We are against taking everything we’ve known about effective teaching and throwing it all out in one fell swoop in favor of media-driven trends.
We are against articles and podcasts that intentionally ask educators to feel guilt and shame about teaching practices that have been proven over and over again to be effective with the vast majority of students.
We are against sensationalized reporting that makes villains out of people, instructional frameworks, and curriculum resources. Let’s be honest, it’s never been about the people, the framework, or the resource not being effective…it’s always been about how educators are supported in using these resources and, inevitably, how it is executed.
There is merit to the real Science of Reading research, which is different from the media-driven version of the Science of Reading. There are real impacts of the efficacy of systematic phonics instruction, and - oh by the way - this was never refuted by the voices supporting a Balanced Literacy framework.
Let’s be critical thinkers on this topic. Educators, let’s understand where there is bias and ask questions. Questions about the information, questions about what we are bringing to the topic, questions about how our administrators and our policymakers are making decisions. At a minimum, let’s just understand when we are being presented with biased information.
Here’s the good news: we aren’t helpless bystanders in this situation. Biased information doesn’t happen to us. We get to be critical thinkers when it comes to educational policy and rhetoric.
The next time you watch a video on social media, read an article, listen to a podcast, or your coworkers, ask yourself some questions to determine if the information is biased. I’ll repeat what I said earlier, spotting bias isn’t about changing your perspective, it’s about understanding that there is a voice missing, there is a side to the argument that you aren’t being presented. Our job as thinkers is to know when a side is missing and respond to the information accordingly.
You can use these questions as a starting point to spot bias in the information you’re consuming:
Is this information making a villain out of an instructional framework, curriculum resource, or a person/people? Will this thinking make me a better educator tomorrow? [Making villains unites people groups temporarily, but it doesn’t make meaningful impacts on student learning. It won’t make you a better educator tomorrow, I promise.]
Is the information intentionally going after your emotions? [Well-researched information doesn’t need to toy with your feelings to be compelling.]
Who is the author of the research you are reading? Are they a journalist or an educator? [It’s important to be aware of the lens through which the article is written. For the same reasons teachers often bristle at policy changes made by politicians who have never taught, teachers should bristle at journalists who have never taught suggesting what is and isn’t effective.]
Who is funding the research you are reading and using to make decisions? Do they stand to profit from the instructional shifts they’re suggesting? [Always follow the money.]
We hope you’ve heard our heart on this. It isn’t about holding tightly to previous methods of teaching or defending anything. We are seeing massive sweeping changes happening across the nation to implement instruction that is based on biased and missing information, and that’s problematic. We just want educators to be wise, thoughtful consumers who think critically.
The team at Read. Write. Think. with Renee has compiled quite a few resources that present a different perspective on the Science of Reading movement. Click here to access those resources.
