Truth Telling, yes. Also, Truth Seeking! ( 2 of 2 )

 In seeking the truth with children as companions, I have learned to listen more to what they are saying and to be sensitive to how they are saying it. Just this summer, I had the pleasure of discussing the book The Wild Robot (Peter Brown, 2019) with a student who pointed out that Roz the Robot, the main character in the book, is able to make benevolent choices because of her computer brain. She is not human and therefore, more logical in her approach to decision making. Programmed to help humans, she did not retaliate or sought vengeance on the bears who attacked and bullied her instead, she helped one of the bears survive a fatal fall. This bear broke her robot foot and rendered her incapable of speed and agility.

“Teacher, if Roz was human, she would have left the bears to die. But she is one to avoid drama. She knows a life is in danger so she did what she is programmed to do. Save lives. Help humanity.” So, she reasoned. She is 12 years old, a sixth grader who studies in a private school.

Moving from this fictional sequence in the novel, I directed our discussion to computer programming and Artificial Intelligence. Earlier on, as part of our pre-reading activity, we read two encyclopedia articles on the aforementioned topics. She was impatient at the time but when we reached the part where Roz is able to adapt and adjust in the wild, she appreciated reading the non-fiction articles. It grounded her understanding of the life forms that can exist and co-exist. We were reading a work of science fiction, but we both agree that in real life, humans fall prey to their own emotions. Logic, though cold, can be a thinking tool to help someone understand another person way better than relying on to personal judgement.

This recent teaching and learning experience made me realize the many ways in which authors, content creators, readers and consumers engage in truth seeking. As a teacher librarian, I can no longer keep to known and tested criteria in selecting and evaluating learning and reading materials. OPVL and CRAAP are useful tools. Since information and knowledge have become mercurial even volatile, it is handy to keep such tools and to use them responsibly. In truth seeking, context matters as well as culture. Assessing information and the truth it holds require a closer look at those who created them. Opportunities to converse and to dialogue beyond the book and the four corners of a device or a gadget must be created as often as possible. Or else, we go back to our own comfort zones and echo chambers.

Here is what OPVL and CRAAP stand for.

OPVL – Origin, Purpose, Value, Limitation

CRAAP – Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose

OPVL and CRAAP can be used to guide the reader, the teacher and anyone using information and knowledge for daily life. These tools should no longer be confined in classrooms and academic hallways. Best to use alongside meaningful reading selections and experiences.

I do not claim to be the shinning, shimmering, splendid woman of Truth, but definitely, in telling truth and in seeking for the truth, it is necessary to know when to stay tethered to it and when to hold it lightly. Be prepared to let it go especially when it comes from the process of discernment.