Media Literacy: 21st Century Learning

The media, for better or worse, deliver us the news and the gossip; they entertain, educate and inform. The media tell us what to buy, what to eat and drink, what brands are cool, what to read, who or what to listen to, and who to vote for. Unless you are media literate, you may not think twice about the powerful and influential role the media have on our lives.

The media have not always been in American classrooms. Yes, teachers teach with media, but rarely do they teach about the media. It’s called media literacy. Most of our students are not receiving adequate media literacy instruction, mostly because their teachers have not been adequately trained—neither at the college level nor through professional development.

You might be asking: What is media literacy? My favorite definition comes from the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Media Literacy Resource Guide:

“Media literacy is concerned with helping students develop an informed and critical understanding of the nature of mass media, the techniques used by them, and the impact of these techniques. More specifically, it is education that aims to increase the students’ understanding and enjoyment of how the media work, how they produce meaning, how they are organized, and how they construct reality. Media literacy also aims to provide students with the ability to create media products.”

The National Association of Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) also advocates six core principles through their project The Core Principles of Media Literacy Education (CPMLE):

1. Media Literacy Education requires active inquiry and critical thinking about the messages we receive and create.
2. Media Literacy Education expands the concept of literacy (i.e., reading and writing) to include all forms of media.
3. Media Literacy Education builds and reinforces skills for learners of all ages. Like print literacy, those skills necessitate integrated, interactive, and repeated practice.
4. Media Literacy Education develops informed, reflective, and engaged participants essential for a democratic society.
5. Media Literacy Education recognizes that media are a part of culture and function as agents of socialization.
6. Media Literacy Education affirms that people use their individual skills, beliefs, and experiences to construct their own meanings from media messages.

The following essays represent some of the brightest minds in media literacy education. I encourage you to consider how these recommendations can enhance what you and your teachers are doing for media literacy instruction.

“The Core Principles of Media Literacy Education.” National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE). http://namle.net/publications/core-principles.

Media Literacy Resource Guide. Ontario Ministry of Education. 1997.