Madrid launches teacher training to combat scientific disinformation

The Royal Academy of Sciences of Spain (RAC) and the Community of Madrid have launched a training program for primary and secondary school teachers titled ‘Huye de los bulos en ciencia. Acércate a las fuentes’ (Run from science hoaxes. Get closer to the sources).

The initiative aims to provide educators with tools to combat scientific disinformation and help students differentiate between verified evidence and misleading content found on social media and the internet. The 15-hour course, which accommodates 25 teachers, will run from October 5 to December 14 at the RAC headquarters in Madrid.

Topics to be addressed include climate change, vaccines, evolution, flat earth theories, the moon landing, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. The program begins on October 5 with a session on climate change led by academics José Manuel Moreno and Laia Alegret, focusing on scientific evidence and the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).