Media Literacy Teaching Tips

Strategies for High School and College Level Media Studies Classes

Oct 28, 2008 Naomi Rockler-Gladen
Media literacy -- sometimes known as media studies or media education -- is a worldwide movement designed to help students become critical consumers and citizens in relation to the media. Topics in these classes include the construction of news, representations of gender and race, media violence, political ads, Internet safety, and the impact of new media technologies.
Educators are often surprised to learn that media studies is a difficult subject to teach. Many students come with the attitude that popular culture is "just entertainment" and are resistant to looking at it critically. Another problem is that some students mistakenly think media studies is a blow-off class. In addition, some students come expecting to learn job skills -- when, in fact, media literacy isn't a skills class.
Here are some tips for teaching media literacy.

Don't Look for "Hidden Messages"

One of the main purposes of media literacy is to teach students how to analyze media texts. For example, a teacher might show a Disney film like Beauty and the Beast and ask students to talk about what the movie says about gender. It's important for the teacher to demonstrate that there's no correct answer to that question, and that the point is not to look for "hidden messages" inside the film.
Students often find this concept difficult. It's typical for them to approach analysis by looking for secret meanings that they feel that the film maker might have inserted. Students need to understand that interpretation can take place regardless of the intent of the author.
Interpretation takes practice, and teachers can expect that at first, students will protest that they are "reading too much" into the text. To demonstrate the point, the teacher might start by analyzing Beauty and the Beast in several different ways, and explaining why some feel the film portrays women positively, and others feel it does not. After doing so, the teacher can introduce new texts and let the students do the interpretation.

Be Open to Multiple Interpretations

An atmosphere of trust is needed in a media literacy class. Students need to feel that they can express whatever interpretations they choose without fear of penalization. Students should be corrected if they use a concept incorrectly, but not for their point of view. Teachers must embrace this. A left-wing, feminist teacher needs to wholeheartedly accept that conservative Christian students will use media literacy tools to make interpretations that reflect their world views.

Use Relevant Examples

Kids are very tuned in to pop culture and will resist examples to which they can't relate -- or information about pop culture that the teacher gets wrong. The fix for this is easy -- let the students generate their own examples of pop culture texts that fit the course concepts.

Use Hands-On Exercises

An important part of the media literacy movement is to teach students how to make their own media -- not to learn job skills, but to use this knowledge to become more critical of the media. For example, students might learn how lighting can affect the meaning of the scene, and then use lighting techniques in a studio to see how this works. Or students might create their own newscasts to learn about objectivity and newsworthiness. Teachers might also teach students how to create blogs, and then discuss the social implications of blogging.

Media Literacy: A Rewarding Experience

Although media literacy is a difficult class to teach, it can be quite rewarding -- and fun. Students appreciate how relevant this course is to their personal experiences. Give teaching this course a try, and media literacy can be one of the most rewarding classes to teach.