Building Teachers’ Capacity to Read and Use Wikipedia in the Classroom

The Dagbani Wikimedians User Group successfully conducted a Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom training from 24 to 25 January 2026, aimed at empowering teachers to critically engage with Wikipedia and use it as an effective pedagogical tool. The training was facilitated by Abdul-Rasheed Yussif and Abdul-Rafiu Fuseini, guiding participants through foundational concepts and practical skills.

Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom is the Wikimedia Foundation’s flagship teacher training program. It equips educators and students with essential media and information literacy skills for the 21st century. The program emphasizes critical engagement with Wikipedia, helping teachers leverage it in lesson planning, classroom activities, and student research. Through collaboratively developed curricula and interactive sessions, teachers gain insight into how Wikipedia functions, the credibility of online content, and the importance of knowledge diversity.

The first module focused on helping teachers navigate and understand Wikipedia as a reliable information source. Participants explored:

• The importance of access to information for teaching and learning.
• What a wiki is and how Wikipedia operates.
• Common misconceptions about Wikipedia and why it should be used in classrooms.
• Who contributes to Wikipedia and whose voices are often missing.
• How to navigate Wikipedia efficiently and explore alternative ways to access its content.
• Strategies to keep students safe while using Wikipedia.
• Promoting knowledge equity and content diversity in the classroom.

Module 2 emphasized the critical assessment of Wikipedia content, enabling teachers to evaluate accuracy, credibility, and bias. Topics included:

• Wikipedia’s pillars, guidelines, and core content policies.
• Understanding article structure and using talk pages for collaboration.
• Reviewing article history to understand knowledge creation over time.
• Ensuring references are credible and verifiable.
• Evaluating articles and facilitating access to quality academic sources.
• Practical exercises to integrate Wikipedia into lesson planning.

The third module guided teachers through active participation, encouraging them to become contributors. Key focus areas were:

• Developing a growth mindset and embracing the “Be Bold” philosophy when editing Wikipedia.
• Creating a personal user page and making first contributions.
• Understanding how Wikipedia editors organize content collaboratively.
• Applying transformative practices to build community knowledge.
• Integrating Wikipedia into classroom lessons with ready-to-use lesson plan templates.

By the end of the training, participants had developed strong media and information literacy skills, improved confidence in using and evaluating Wikipedia, and gained practical strategies for classroom integration. Teachers also benefited from peer learning and global perspectives shared during the sessions. In recognition of their participation and commitment, certificates were awarded to all participants at the end of the training.