The exercise enables students to approach history from the perspective of its shaping and manipulation. Through an interactive format, participants learn critical thinking, source analysis and teamwork. The variety of presentation formats enables them to develop digital, media and communication competences. It is an excellent tool that not only improves content analysis skills but also provides a better understanding of how our knowledge of the world is developed.

Description

In the era of universal access to information, it is extremely important to understand who shapes our knowledge of the past and how they do it. Wikipedia, which is one of the most widely used sources of knowledge, is both a treasure trove of information and a battleground of historical narratives. As an exercise, students will create a short video, interactive presentation, podcast or infographic outlining mechanisms of the manipulation of historical facts and ways to detect manipulation.

Instead of analysing specific instances of the changes made to articles, students will consider who writes history, what motivations may drive Wikipedia editors and what mechanisms may shape historical narratives.

Objectives

  • Understanding how Wikipedia works and who influences historical content
  • Analysis of editing mechanisms and methods of manipulating facts
  • Developing critical thinking and source analysis skills
  • Creative presentation of the problem through multimedia
  • Practicing teamwork and effective communication
  • Improving digital and media skills

Stages

  1. Introduction to the subject

The teacher introduces the topic of the exercise to students discussing the following key questions:

  • Who writes Wikipedia articles?
  • What rules should editors adhere to?
  • Is complete neutrality in describing history possible?
  • What groups might try to influence historical content?
  • What methods of the manipulation of facts can be found in the media?

Students are introduced to examples of editing disputes on Wikipedia and Wikipedia’s rules for the verification of information. The teacher presents a short instructional video on article editing.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Create_a_Wikipedia_article_using_Visual_Editor.webm

The teacher can also recommend a YT channel for students interested in more advanced editing: https://www.youtube.com/@TheWikiShowEdits

  1. Division into groups and the choice of topic

Students are divided into teams of 3-4 people. Each team chooses one of the following topics:

  • History rewritten – How can different historical narratives change depending on the source?
  • Who has power over knowledge? – Mechanisms of control over editing and methods of manipulating facts.
  • Can Wikipedia be objective? – An analysis of the principles of neutrality and related challenges.
  • Editing wars – What is a dispute over history on Wikipedia like?
  • Fake news in history – How does disinformation affect perceptions of the past?
  1. Material creation (45 minutes)

Each group prepares a multimedia presentation of their analysis, choosing one of the following formats:

  • an interactive presentation – e.g. in Canva or Prezi;
  • an educational animation – made using Powtoon, Animaker or similar tools;
  • a podcast – a recording of a short discussion or interview about narrative control in history;
  • infographics – a summary of the main mechanisms of history manipulation in a visual form;
  • self-recording – performance of scenes depicting disputes over history on Wikipedia.

 

All presentations should include:

  • the explanation of the problem of history manipulation on Wikipedia;
  • examples of editing mechanisms and content control methods;
  • a discussion of the risks and ways of countering them.
  1. Presentation of effects

Each group presents the material they have prepared. After the presentations, students analyse the projects together, answering the following questions:

  • What manipulation techniques were discussed?
  • Is the information supported by reliable sources?
  • What were the biggest challenges in the work on their presentation?
  • What lessons can be learnt for the future?
  1. Final discussion (10 minutes)

At the end, the teacher leads a moderated discussion:

  • Are we able to protect history from manipulation?
  • What steps can we as users of Wikipedia take to enhance its reliability?
  • What other sources are worth using in the analysis of history?
  • Do different forms of content presentation change the way content is perceived?