Before you start with the Activity get familiar with the relevant parts of the Methodology for teachers and the overall composition and logic of the activities presented in the Activity book for teachers to have the overall idea what topics are covered in the activities.

Activity has direct connection to the topics covered in the MODULE 3 & 4 of the Methodology

But the activity also directly utilizes the knowledge from the MODULE 0, 1 & 2 of the Methodology

Students will learn how to prepare and conduct own research to gain knowledge about selected issue.

Students will learn to formulate research questions, research hypothesis and criteria to judge them. 

Students will learn to use research methods of desk research (mainly how to approach information from the internet – utilizing the knowledge from the Activity 1)) and how to do their own field research (surveys and interviews).

After they collect the data and information the students will learn how to analyze the data and make sense of the information. They will test the strength of the evidence available before making conclusions. 

By this experience students will understand that they should first take the argument or opinion as an hypothesis to be tested before coming to haste (and not supported) conclusions. In other words the students will learn to base their decisions on evidence. 

People (students) are not familiar with principles and methods how to grasp a topic to get coherent understanding for responsible decision making.

• Design and conduct the research to collect relevant data and information to explore the issue and find answers to the questions we are looking for. The underlining goal is to learn how to make responsible decisions supported by evidence.

Step 1: The topic – issue concerned (topic selection)

Step 2: Preresearch phase - orientation in the issue and problem definition (divergent phase)

Step 3: Formulating the research questions, hypothesis and criteria to judge them (convergent phase)

Step 4: Choosing the methods to be used

Step 5: Prepare for the research realization

Step 6: Research realization

Step 7: Analyze the data and assess the evidence  

Step 8: Formulate conclusions based on findings from research and the evidence  

• Students will formulate research questions, research hypothesis 

• Students will formulate relevant criteria to judge the hypothesis (arguments, opinions)

• Students will design their own research to find answers to the research questions

• Students will conduct the research in the designed scope (e.g. desk research, interviews, surveys)

• Students will analyze the findings and formulate conclusions about the concerned issue (using simple statistical methods and tests for evidence)

• Students will examine what knowledge the research provided to them

• Topic of the research defined by research questions

• Setting hypotheses to be tested

• Research design (with appropriate criteria,  methods, sources and target groups)

• Relevant data and information providing evidence

• Conducting field research

• Analyzing and interpreting data (both secondary and primary)

• Formulation of conclusions

• Students can design research relevant for the topic (questions asked)

• Students can use specific method(s) to obtain relevant and reliable data

• Students have experience with field research (if conducted)

• Student can formulate relevant conclusions supported by evidence

This activity is utilizing and combining the knowledge from all modules from Module 0 to Module 4.

• Research design (Module 3)

• Use of field research methods (Module 3)

• Disinformation, misinformation and fake-news (Module 0)

• Understand  criteria for quality of data and information (Module 1, chapter 1.1)

• Finding data and information on the internet (Module 1)

• Understand the role of actors and their perspectives in the issue concerned (Module 2)

• Asses the strength of evidence (Module 4)

• Formulate conclusions supported by evidence (Module 4)

• Understand principles of making sense of information (Module 4)

• Understand conspiracy theories (Module 4)

Depends on the topic and the number of students in the class and weather students will look up the information during the class or before as home assignment. Dependent also on the presence and scope of own research.

Before you start you need to pick a relevant theme/topic/issue to be explored. Try to narrow broader topic (e.g. climate change) to some specific issue (e.g, the argument of climate change sceptics, the climate change impacts, the solutions to climate change, attitude toward climate change in your school, the role of politicians/media in forming the attitudes to climate change, etc.).

How to choose the topic (problem definition) and the biases:

• Beware of the problem definition not to limit the further research (exploration) by the students (see Module 0, chapter 1.3).

• Be self-critical not to define the topic/problem influenced by your own biases.

• Be self-critical and open to different views (do not mistake them for fake-news).

You can approach the task in two ways (or combine these):

a) You let students to explore and find the sources of information by their own.

b) You will point out selected sources of information about the topic to the students. So the students will start with these selected sources.

This activity can be used and done with students to explore and deepen understanding of any topic.

This can be any societal issue (cutting threes in Amazonia, war in Ukraine etc.) or topic connected to the theme that is part of regular class (geography, history, biology etc.)

Or the Activity can be applied for a topic concerning  the school, town or class (e.g. to find solutions for topics concerning opposing positions)