To think if you're a teacher, you challenge any conspiracy theory nonsense in class?

DS has a PE teacher at secondary school who’s into all this Flat Earth type nonsense and she’s constantly telling them all sorts of bizarre stuff.

However, I don’t think any of the kids pay her any attention and think she’s a bit crazy but harmless.

Apparently, the Principal is fully aware of her weird ramblings but he says he can’t easily replace her. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I enjoy these conversations in the classroom. You underestimate children/teens and their ability to debate this stuff. There is no way any of my classes would let a flat earth theory go unquestioned and they would probably have views on Biden’s Botox as well.

Usually the other pupils do it for me and i don’t need to say a thing!

But I do encourage critical thinking and will engage in a discussion playing ‘devil’s advocate’ rather than saying they are wrong. Because ultimately, who says I am right?!

Also - i don’t want the whole twisted version of events going back to the parents and then dealing with emails and phone calls complaining.

As teachers, our job is to stay neutral and give facts rather than opinions. I’ve taught a lot on “reliable sources” online and how to separate the fact from the fiction. But occasionally I get so disgusted by something that I do react. Andrew Tate is a disgusting, sexist, misogynist and when I heard children in my class talking about him I told them that his name is banned from my class because of x,y,z. I teach upper KS2.

It must be hard as a teacher if kid 1 says Biden is a robot and kid 2 then asks you if it's true.

I wouldn't want a load of kids to think he was or might be a robot because I hadn't outright said he wasn't.

I'm glad I work with animals 😬 They don't care who is a robot as long as they get fed.

To give another perspective. That's what the whole of Liverpool and Liverpool fans were told when we challenged the hillsborough news reports. That's what everyone was told when voicing concerns about Saville, women's spaces etc. So yes it should be a matter of back to the lesson and not the individual opinion of the teacher.

As a parent I have been horrified at some of the nonsense spouted at DCs school by their main teacher. As in the end of the world is night type territory. And not in a lesson on how to spot fake news/deal woth conspiracies. Has caused a great deal of anxiety. Am taking the three strikes and I will report to HT.

Teachers need to be neutral and encourage critical thinking. But agree with comments above they also need to acknowledge other view points. Just not terrify the kids!

Just want to say thanks to the teachers commenting, this is very interesting.
Teachers already have so much to deal with, I wonder with the rise of misinformation both on social media from conspiracy theorists and targeted campaigns from criminals attempting to sway elections etc, how much the curriculum will change in future to try and teach kids how to identify false information - there's already so much to cover and tactics change all the time, it's hard enough for law enforcement to keep up never mind it filtering down into education.

We were told we weren't allowed to when this was rife during covid. Some mumbo jumbo about the kids needing to feel safe to express these views.

‘Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but that’s not what this lesson is about, so let’s get back on track. Now, can anyone tell me the definition of the word ‘ignorant’?”

You teach the curriculum and how to make the cogent argument . With evidence.

If she shoots her mouth off again, get her to support her (Mum's) claims.

Then tell her to keep to the lesson at hand as you're not going to win this one.

It's a really difficult one because we're not supposed to express "political" opinions and there's always the threat of parents or students reporting us, in my current school at least.

I also think I'd need more training on how to handle conspiracy theories etc., for example in my previous school I had to deliver a current affairs thing on Andrew Tate and discovered quite a few boys in my tutor group were fans and saying things like if his arrest was real, why were there cameras? I try to generally approach things in quite a neutral way and try to find out what it is they like about him, try to suggest additional role models or emphasise values that I think would be good for them.

It does depend, if I heard a student come out with something like the earth is flat, I'd probably brush it off in a lighthearted way but much more difficult if it's coming from home. We did have students in my previous school thinking COVID tests would give you cancer etc and would say things like listen it's not in the government's interest to give everyone cancer, lots of things could potentially be carcinogenic with enough exposure eg. The Sun but you still go outside.

But anything more systematic than that I think at most teachers should just be referring to people with more training and focusing on teaching, especially as I think it could just drive believers further into the conspiracy beliefs and away from trusted adults and society.

I try my best to use any things like this as discussion points as in 'some people believe'. I think children should be neutrally introduced to as many different ways of thinking as possible.

Notably, things labelled as conspiracy theories do turn out to be true at a rate that’s fairly alarming if you keep track (eg media suppression of the hunter Biden laptop story - which is now openly admitted). There are plenty of others surrounding Covid, elections, wars that turn out to be correct in the long run.

The best quote I heard recently was “I don’t like to side with conspiracy theorists, but at the same time I do like to be right”.

Stick to the curriculum and shut down other avenues /topics as not on topic. Otherwise you can get yourself in a lot of trouble.

In secondary school. Form time is used for debates sometimes. I've used conspiracy theories as topics in the past. Interesting outcomes. But its not my job to tell someone how to think its to allow them to critically think for themselves

What is the point an education if not to give children the tools to think critically?

If we've got a system that teaches pupils to add and spell whilst simultaneously thinking the royal family are lizards we're doomed.

It certainly looked to be aimed that it was something that schools should be doing. Teaching how to search out what’s fake online vs real to filters the guff from the facts.

Big discussions on the basis of how could X of possibly happened and what effect being believing in it cold affect the populations actions and such.

Some of the topics where; Mmr / autism, 9/11 inside job or terrorism, covid vaccine for good or not, titanic did it really sink or was it another boat, aliens in Area 51, aliens at all. Andrew Tate and such type views where mentioned also as in, are we silencing him because his right and the whole illuminati stuff.

There was more but yeah it want to look into how say the titanic one doesn’t really cause much harm on a population level right now where as the MMR and Covid vaccine one does cause issues because people stop taking vaccinations.

I don’t believe in God. I think organised religion is misleading and causes terrible harm. As a teacher should I therefore challenge anyone who talks about the existence of God?

Can you see the problem here? Once you stray into arguing about beliefs, you open a whole can of worms.

I would always challenge racism, sexism etc because they are clearly morally wrong. But there’s no space to get into challenging every weird theory out there. And no time either.

I teach ethics /RS so quite often get into this territory. It's absolutely fine to engage up to a point but I don't allow it to derail a lesson, I prevent any and all mocking of the view expressed and ask the student to evaluate the quality of the evidence they are basing it on. I use it as a way to shoehorn in a warning of not accepting anything that starts with "I saw this thing on tiktok etc". I also tell them I'm happy to host a lunchtime discussion if they'd like to bring along a group of interested kids. It never happens.

Typo in my post should say unlike

Reported to MNHQ

This is why critical thinking needs to be taught in schools

My friends brother is a primary school teacher and has taught both my kids. I confess I was worried about him teaching them because I know some of his personal views - very religious, anti-vax, brother is full flat earther. Thankfully he kept these views to himself, which I suppose shouldn't be a surprise. All the teachers I've experienced so far have been super professional.