Teaching Critical Media Literacy

Now that technology has become such a large part of learning, students are now interacting with media in the classroom, instead of simply in the outside world. This makes it even more important for teachers to educate their students on critical media literacy. Students need to learn to be critical of the things they read and the images that the media presents to them. We need to get our students into the habit of asking themselves "where is this information coming from?"  "Is it a reliable source?" and "What is the purpose that this media is trying to serve?" This will create students who are more aware and who do not blindly absorb information that is given to them. 

In the text "Teaching Popular Visual Culture: Deconstructing Disney in the Elementary Art Classroom," Kevin M. Tavin and David Anderson look at the hidden messages that children can be learning from Disney movies, and articulates the danger in not discussing with children the values and forms of identity that this media promotes.  The article looked at aspects of different movies such as the way the local culture was portrayed in Aladdin, the way Gaston treated Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and the fact that Tarzan took place in Africa, however every character in the movie was white. As educators, Tavin and Anderson argue that we need to help students be critical about the way "corporations such as Disney produce knowledge about the world, distribute and regulate information, help construct identity, and promote consumption in visual culture" (34). If we do not teach critical media literacy to our students then they may develop distorted self images, as well as adhere to false stereotypes about other members of society. 

http://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources is a great resource for teaching children about critical media literacy. This website filters lessons based on subject and grade, and discusses a variety of different topics that are displayed in media such as body image, violence, gender representation, etc. It is a great resource and makes it easy to teach children to be critical about the different media messages that are being presented to them. Media literacy is an important topic and is one that teachers need to start bringing into the classroom. If we don't teach students to be more critical of media then the results will be extremely negative.


Source:

Tavin, K. M., and Anderson, D. (2003). Teaching (popular) visual culture: Deconstructing Disney in the elementary art classroom. Art Education, 56(3), 21-23; 32-35.