Literacy for the 21st Century, by Elizabeth Thoman and Tessa Jolls, discusses the need for media education, where teachers and students engage in discussions examining the many forms of media literacy and how they affect the consumer. The section Why media literacy is Important made me think of the activity we did in Dr. Crovitz’s class last Thursday with the advertisements. The multi-layered influences that are presented through such ads require a high level of critical thinking that is challenging to learn and consistently apply.
I think the skills that the article suggests students learn in order to competently navigate through the interpretation of media literacy will also make them more politically savvy. I don’t think we, as teachers, really give students the tools and critical thinking needed to wade through the media saturated political arena. The very skills we will be giving them to determine messages about what to wear, how to act, who to be, will also assist in the long run for making more informed decisions in their personal and professional life.
I also thought this question posed under Essential Questions for Teachers was interesting:
“At the end of the lesson, are students likely to be more analytical? Or more cynical?”
I distinctly remember becoming both at once when I began peeling back the layers of media messages in a classroom.
Overall, I thought the article provided some excellent concrete suggestions on how to delve into the multi-layered media and become a critical thinker. It’s interesting; I think this is an area that we have avoided in teaching our students to the full extent, historically, due to fear. What I mean is these tools are the very foundation for questioning everything in our world, like our parents’ rules, beliefs and values, or our teachers for that matter. It opens up a whole new avenue for students to form their own ideas, which may not be in line with our own. There is no right or wrong answer to grade, and I think that scares some people.
I think you’re right about the risk involved in such thinking. Some might fear that in asking students to question received messages, we’re encouraging subversive behavior and rebellion. My response would be that if ideas are strong and sensible enough, they should be able to withstand scrutiny…and that a skeptically minded public is a good thing in a democracy.