Speakers respond to questions from the audience during the symposium as Taunya English, right, moderates the discussion.

Speakers respond to questions from the audience during the symposium as Taunya English, right, moderates the discussion.

Posted November 11, 2015

A symposium titled “Tragedies and Current Events: Helping Students Understand What They See, Read, and Hear in the News,” was held Nov. 6 at the Gesu School in North Philadelphia.

Expert panelists included Mary McNaughton-Cassill, professor of psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio; Dana Weeks, head of school at Germantown Friends School; and Michael A. Spikes, director of the Digital Resource Center, Center for News Literacy, Stony Brook University.

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The panelists provided their insights and expertise on how schools can help students become smart consumers of news, especially as they grapple with the psychological effects of exposure to tragic and graphic news.

Gesu students sing a song prior to the Nov. 6 symposium.

Gesu students sing a song prior to the Nov. 6 symposium.