ProCon.org CEO Kamy Akhavan shares the rigorous editorial process his organization undertakes to accurately represent multiple facets of complex issues for their 25 million annual users. Attendees will explore ways to best help students engage in meaningful conversations around contentious subjects without leaning on partisan talking points or falling for fake news through Kamy's discussions

1. Bursting the Echo Chamber: Resources to
Fight Polarization & Empower Critical Thinking
By: Kamy Akhavan

2. Today’s Talk
● Partisanship today
● How are echo chambers formed?
● Can they burst? How?
● What’s the role of critical thinking?
● Using ProCon.org and other online
resources for critical thinking

3. In the 1960s, researchers asked Americans how they
would feel if their daughter or son married someone of
a differing political ideology. Four percent of
Democrats and five percent of Republicans said they’d
be displeased. In 2008, that number increased to 20
percent of Democrats and 27 percent of Republicans.
By 2010, that number had leapt to 33 percent and 49
percent, respectively.

5. Is this how YOU see it?

6. Where/how do voters get educated?
● Political ads, official
voter guides,
debates, TV news,
radio, print mailers,
email, online news,
other online
sources, social
media, friends,
family

7. Less informed = more partisan
● When more election news coverage is
available in a voting district, voters show a
“strong” preference for centrists. Most voting
districts have one or two local TV news
sources.
● Out of 435 congressional districts, 26 are
considered “competitive.”

8. Can we expect media to never
spread fake news? Nope...
“Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it; so that when Men come to be
undeceiv’d, it is too late; the Jest is over, and the Tale has had its Effect…”
Jonathan Swift, 1710
“Fake news and propaganda were as rampant in
in the 1930s as they are now.” Aspen Institute, 2016

9. Facts may not matter.
University of Michigan study (Nyhan et al., 2005, 2006)
When misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were
exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they rarely changed their
minds. In fact they often became even more strongly set in their beliefs.
THE “BACKFIRE” EFFECT
Could facts could make misinformation stronger?

10. It’s worse than you think
1,000 Iowans were given a quiz on welfare. More than 50% were
confident that all their answers were correct. 3% got more than half
right. The ones who were the most confident they were right were the
ones who knew the least about welfare. Nyhan of U Michigan wrote “It’s
hard to be optimistic about the effectiveness of fact-checking.”
People tend to interpret information with an eye towards reinforcing
their preexisting views. This is called “motivated reasoning” or
“confirmation bias”

11. What about smart folks?
Politically sophisticated thinkers were even LESS open to new
information. They may be right about 90% of things, but their
confidence makes it nearly impossible to correct the 10% on which
they’re totally wrong. In the Taber & Lodge study, the “most
sophisticated” people had double the resistance to facts compared to
the average.
Examples: Highly educated left-leaning Marin County moms insisting
that MMR vaccine may cause autism. It doesn’t. Highly educated right-
leaning Americans insisting that scientists are divided about whether or
not humans have influenced climate change. They’re not.

12. Why are we so deceived?
● It’s nature!
● It’s nurture!
● It’s cable news media!
● It’s the lying politicians!
● It’s social media!
● It’s bad actors trying to mislead us!

13. CONFIRMATION BIAS aka MOTIVATED REASONING
It’s an inherent human trait to confirm our own
bias. Without critical thinking and exposure to
respectfully-presented opposing views, this
hard-wired trait goes unchallenged.
IT’S THE ELEPHANT GUIDING THE RIDER - NOT THE OTHER WAY
AROUND.
It’s all of those but mostly...

14. Okay… so what?
I’m a teacher. I took a low-paying insanely
demanding job to serve an important mission to
better educate people in this country.
How can understanding hard-wired vs. learned
and riding elephants help me?

15. Because critical thinking
Teachers are the masters of passing down this
essential skill. It is our duty and our burden.

16. What is it?
Nyhan suggests that instead of focusing on
citizens and consumers of misinformation,
look at the suppliers of the misinformation -
the sources. Challenge them. Expose them. Be
aware of their Point of View (POV).
Critical Thinking to the Rescue

17. So how do we save our democracy?
● CREATE RESPECTFUL LEARNING &
DISCUSSION SPACES.
Self-esteem is a factor. If you feel good about
yourself, you’ll consider contrary perspectives.
If you feel threatened or insecure, you won’t.
Create a respectful classroom space.

18. Ask a critical question and give
related info right away
Group 1 was asked “What % of the federal budget is and
should be spent on welfare?” They gave high “is” numbers
and low “should be” numbers - a gap of 20%
Group 2 was told that 1% of the budget is spent on welfare
then asked “What % of the federal budget spent should be
spent welfare?” Their adjusted response was lower than
the “should be” numbers of Group 1 - a gap of 7%

19. What works best?
● Teach listening and point of view
● Discuss/explore controversial social issues in your classrooms
● show sources
● give contextual facts
● stimulate critical thinking
● feel life an earnest coffee talk and not like a Thanksgiving dinner
conversation,
● aggregate AND sort data, and
● offer comprehensive information in simple formats (bullet points,
lists, pro/con columns, etc.)

20. We can’t expect kids to understand their society if we don’t
talk about what happens in it.
Politics should not be taboo. People are afraid to discuss
social issues in public and unless we can have respectful,
productive talks on important topics, we will doom
ourselves to gridlock. Talk about and teach controversial
issues. It will help teach critical thinking and encourage
civic participation.
Expectations

21. NCSS C3 Standards

22. Some sources I like
● Junior State of America
● Reagan Library education resources
● Credo Reference
● Constitutional Rights Foundation
● Mikva Challenge / Action Civics LA
● NAMLE
● News Literacy Project

23. Books for personal growth
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by Arbinger Institute
Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone by Mark Goulston
Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical, and Financial Destiny by
Anthony Robbins
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Thank You for Arguing: What Artistotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion by Jay
Heinrichs
The Only Negotiating Guide You’ll Ever Need: 101 Ways to Win Every Time in Any Situation by Peter Stark and Jane Flaherty
Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Sue Johnson

24. Ben Franklin: “When these difficult cases occur, they are
difficult chiefly because while we have them under
consideration all the reasons pro and con are not present to
the mind at the same time.”
.

25. Thanks, Dr. Haidt!

26. PROCON.ORG IS FREE & NONPARTISAN

29. Aggregated & Sorted

31. 1. Critical thinking is considered the second most important life skill after interpersonal skill.
2. Studying and debating controversial topics in school helps increase student attention, motivation,
achievement, creativity, and self-esteem.
3. California teachers said critical thinking skills were the #1 measure of college and career readiness.
4. Controversial issue assignments increase critical thinking skills and appreciation of cultural diversity.
5. 93% of employers value demonstrated critical thinking over job candidates' undergraduate majors.
6. Teaching controversial topics helps students develop non-violent strategies for dealing with conflict.
7. 98% of teachers surveyed said ProCon.org helped improve their students’ critical thinking skills.
8. 36% of ProCon.org users surveyed said they changed their opinion based on what they learned at ProCon.org.
Critical Thinking Is Critically Important

32. Visit www.procon.org - THANK YOU!!!

33. Stay tuned for our upcoming webinar on October
18, hosted by Charleston Conference.