Media Literacy and Engaged Citizens
Hi everyone!! Thanks for coming to read my language blog! This is my first blog post and today I will share some thoughts with you about media literacy! In the weeks to come, I will also make posts about the other strands in the Ontario language curriculum: reading, writing, and oral communication! I am excited to start with media literacy because it is a strand that holds so much importance in today's world and yet is often an afterthought when compared to the more traditional strands of language. Think about this though: how often is digital media in our lives? It's around us on billboards, bus shelters, tv, phones and so much more! It's no wonder that media literacy is a critical part of the Ontario curriculum!
An important issue surrounding media literacy that I would like to address in this blog post is: How can educators use media literacy as a way to create engaged and participatory citizens? The reason why I want to share my thoughts on this issue with you is that it is something that as a teacher candidate, I am very passionate about. I believe that the goal of every educator should be to help their students become aware of the world around them and encourage them to be critical, engaged citizens of the global community who can make an impact. I believe that no one is too young to have their voice heard and make a difference in society. Teaching media literacy to our students can be one of the most effective ways to get them thinking about citizenship and their role in society.
The Ontario curriculum states that "[s]tudents’ repertoire of communication skills should include the ability to critically interpret the messages they receive through the various media and to use these media to communicate their own ideas effectively as well" (p. 13). What this means to mean is that through media literacy students can begin to interpret the world around them and make sense of the information they see every day. For example, students are bombarded with standards for beauty and physical appearance in advertisements today. Even products that are unrelated to beauty like cars are advertised with beautiful people as spokespersons. Perhaps even more importantly; however, media literacy also means teaching students to create their own media texts through which they can begin to share their own opinions and participate in society. Media that students can create in the classroom are commercials or posters to sell a product and even satirical media content so that they be critical of what they are seeing on a daily basis. An activity that I have seen in used in many classrooms is one where students select an advertisement (usually from a magazine or newspaper) and then they recreate the advertisement in a critical way to make it more realistic and honest.
A relevant topic in regards to citizenship for our students today is the upcoming federal elections in Canada. Educators could jump at this opportunity to engage students in a critical analysis of political advertisements (how and why they are made, NOT the policies or platforms of the candidates is what is important) to teach media literacy and citizenship at the same time. An excellent resource that teachers could use to help with this activity is the "Political Ad Analyzing Worksheet" created by Frank Baker. A photo of the worksheet can be found at the bottom of this post! Frank Baker also has a captivating article about how political ads are created and how to deconstruct them. It is important to remember that critically analyzing political ads is just one example of how media literacy teaches students about becoming engaged citizens and that there is an endless world of possibilities for educators to uncover!
Now when we think more generally about ways in which students can become engaged and participatory citizens, for me, that means them being able to express themselves and advocate for what they believe in. Every student should feel like their voice matters and we should teach them to believe that they can inspire others and elicit real change. I see media literacy as a direct means to achieve this with our students and I would encourage other teacher candidates to think critically about how media literacy could be the key to creating worldly, active, and engaged students.
Thank you SO much for reading! I hope I got you thinking about media literacy and maybe even challenged you to think deeper about how it relates to helping students bridge the gap from learner to participatory citizen! See you next time!
An important issue surrounding media literacy that I would like to address in this blog post is: How can educators use media literacy as a way to create engaged and participatory citizens? The reason why I want to share my thoughts on this issue with you is that it is something that as a teacher candidate, I am very passionate about. I believe that the goal of every educator should be to help their students become aware of the world around them and encourage them to be critical, engaged citizens of the global community who can make an impact. I believe that no one is too young to have their voice heard and make a difference in society. Teaching media literacy to our students can be one of the most effective ways to get them thinking about citizenship and their role in society.
The Ontario curriculum states that "[s]tudents’ repertoire of communication skills should include the ability to critically interpret the messages they receive through the various media and to use these media to communicate their own ideas effectively as well" (p. 13). What this means to mean is that through media literacy students can begin to interpret the world around them and make sense of the information they see every day. For example, students are bombarded with standards for beauty and physical appearance in advertisements today. Even products that are unrelated to beauty like cars are advertised with beautiful people as spokespersons. Perhaps even more importantly; however, media literacy also means teaching students to create their own media texts through which they can begin to share their own opinions and participate in society. Media that students can create in the classroom are commercials or posters to sell a product and even satirical media content so that they be critical of what they are seeing on a daily basis. An activity that I have seen in used in many classrooms is one where students select an advertisement (usually from a magazine or newspaper) and then they recreate the advertisement in a critical way to make it more realistic and honest.
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| Arizqi Cars. Fiat 500 Abarth ad with the inclusion of a beautiful woman as an advertising technique. arizqi.com Accessed on October 23, 2019. http://blog.arizqi.com/fiat-500-commercial/fiat-500-abarth-seduction-spot-named-best-tv-commercial-fiat-500-commercial/ |
A relevant topic in regards to citizenship for our students today is the upcoming federal elections in Canada. Educators could jump at this opportunity to engage students in a critical analysis of political advertisements (how and why they are made, NOT the policies or platforms of the candidates is what is important) to teach media literacy and citizenship at the same time. An excellent resource that teachers could use to help with this activity is the "Political Ad Analyzing Worksheet" created by Frank Baker. A photo of the worksheet can be found at the bottom of this post! Frank Baker also has a captivating article about how political ads are created and how to deconstruct them. It is important to remember that critically analyzing political ads is just one example of how media literacy teaches students about becoming engaged citizens and that there is an endless world of possibilities for educators to uncover!
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| Peter Mazereeuw. An example of a political advertisement that students could see from the recent 2019 federal election. hilltimes.com. Accessed October 23, 2019. https://www.hilltimes.com/2019/07/22/engage-canada-wont-run-more-attack-ads-before-election/209036 |
Now when we think more generally about ways in which students can become engaged and participatory citizens, for me, that means them being able to express themselves and advocate for what they believe in. Every student should feel like their voice matters and we should teach them to believe that they can inspire others and elicit real change. I see media literacy as a direct means to achieve this with our students and I would encourage other teacher candidates to think critically about how media literacy could be the key to creating worldly, active, and engaged students.
Thank you SO much for reading! I hope I got you thinking about media literacy and maybe even challenged you to think deeper about how it relates to helping students bridge the gap from learner to participatory citizen! See you next time!
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| Frank Baker. Political Ad Analyzing Worksheet. frankwbaker.com. Accessed on October 3, 2019. https://frankwbaker.com/mlc/political-ad-analyzing-worksheet/
Citation: Ministry of Education (2006). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 Language. Toronto: Author.
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