Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Media coverage of double masking during the COVID‑19 pandemic: A lesson plan

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Nour Mheidly
. Laura Cervi
. Sally Samy Tayie
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Media news emerged reporting that double masking can increase protection
against COVID‑19. This led to differential published reports, fueling debate among the public and
creating controversy and confusion. In this paper, we present a lesson plan for health communication
students to enhance their critical thinking ability and equip them with the necessary tools to analyze
various media texts and products.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The lesson plan included a set of activities on three different news
pieces related to double masking, each published through a different media outlet: A newspaper,
a television channel, and an online magazine/podcast. The lesson was designed for 120 min,
over 2 days. It required a digital device and Internet access. Students were tasked to compare
between the news based on set criteria and asked to provide their opinions accordingly. They were
also assigned to fill out an inverted pyramid for further analysis and interpretation.
RESULTS: Students were assessed through a rubric that evaluated gained competencies after
lesson completion. The rubric is composed of five elements to assess the students’ performances.
Elements included filling assigned cells and diagrams, usage of proper English, validation of news
sources and reported facts, critical analysis of findings, and finishing the lesson on time.
CONCLUSION: This lesson plan enhanced the ability of students to understand and analyze various
media texts and validate the content and perspectives published through the different platforms.

Keywords

COVID‑19
critical thinking
lesson plan
misinformation
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 11, Issue 11
December 2021
Pages 1-4

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