Critical Thinking in Practice: A Workshop on Disinformation and Media Literacy

On 9 June 2026, a media literacy workshop dedicated to recognising disinformation and critically evaluating information was held at the Postojna School Centre. The workshop was delivered by Žana E. Martinšek, Žan Premrov and Eva Gračanin, and gave students the opportunity to learn about the most common techniques of information manipulation through play, discussion and group work.

The workshop began with a short icebreaker activity, followed by an introductory discussion on disinformation. Students were introduced to what disinformation is, why it is created and how it can influence our understanding of society. Special emphasis was placed on the techniques most commonly used to influence audiences, such as emotional manipulation, scapegoating, sensationalist language and biased presentation of information.

After the theoretical introduction, students received playing cards designed according to the concept of the game Uno, featuring different examples of disinformation and manipulative techniques. Through free play, participants became familiar with the cards and their meaning, after which they analysed selected examples of information in groups. With the help of prepared guiding questions and additional information from the handbook, they assessed the reliability of the source, the purpose of the publication, possible sensationalist elements and ways in which one could respond to such information.

The workshop concluded with a creative task in which students, working in groups, created their own piece of disinformation or fake news, using techniques such as emotional appeal, a sensationalist headline or scapegoating. In this way, they demonstrated that they had acquired the key content of the workshop and recognised what to pay attention to when critically evaluating information and news.

During the workshop, students already demonstrated newly acquired knowledge and understanding of media literacy. In the post-workshop evaluation survey, they rated the workshop as a very pleasant and informative experience, especially highlighting that they enjoyed learning through play and interactive activities based on a gamified approach.