Our children live in two contrasting worlds, one that is molded by media, while the other is a “liturgy of the past” (Funes, 2008).
In Funes article Advertising and Consumerism: A Space for Pedagogical Practice, (2008), she writes how advertisers appeal to emotions and values to encourage viewers towards the marketplace. To create this environment, advertisers use photographic techniques, construct a reality around their product, and appeal to culture. This type of approach leads to a single interpretation of a product which many of our students accept without question.
Our students are surrounded and fascinated by media, but at school, in many cases they are not exposed to it. Students are still using textbooks that are from the past and not applicable to their world. They learn critical literacy skills, but tend to only apply them to topics that are not necessarily relevant to their everyday lives.
So how do we teach our students to be critical of what they are viewing in the world around them? And how can we give them the necessary life skills to be critical consumers in the marketplace?
It all starts with an open approach to media literacy in the classroom. Students need to be introduced to, and learn how to apply, the Key Concepts of Media Literacy:
Students also need to learn the Media Triangle (Ontario Literacy Curriculum) and how to apply it to the media in their lives. The triangle is a framework for understanding media texts in relation to Audience, Text and Production. Once students learn how to apply this framework in their school work, they will be in a better position to deconstruct the endless bombardment of ads in their lives. It will help them to make more informed consumer decisions that are based upon intellect, rather than those that appeal to their emotions.
For this shift to happen, teachers need to not only explicitly teach Media Literacy in English class, but also integrate into all subject areas. For example, students can look at, and deconstruct, ads in Science around climate change to learn about both perspectives. They can learn how different ethnic or cultural groups are portrayed in advertising and determine if they are able to accept it. Furthermore, they can create media texts to persuade and/or influence their peers’ behaviours. Through both roles, as an analyzer and a creator, students will have a better understanding of how media works and how it can be a tool of persuasion and manipulation.
It is therefore, imperative that students are taught how to be critical of what they see in their world. It is the only way advertisers will adjust their methods. We need our students to be respected as future citizens who will be able to use intellect rather than emotion and cultural influences. Gallup would be proud!
In Funes article Advertising and Consumerism: A Space for Pedagogical Practice, (2008), she writes how advertisers appeal to emotions and values to encourage viewers towards the marketplace. To create this environment, advertisers use photographic techniques, construct a reality around their product, and appeal to culture. This type of approach leads to a single interpretation of a product which many of our students accept without question.
Our students are surrounded and fascinated by media, but at school, in many cases they are not exposed to it. Students are still using textbooks that are from the past and not applicable to their world. They learn critical literacy skills, but tend to only apply them to topics that are not necessarily relevant to their everyday lives.
So how do we teach our students to be critical of what they are viewing in the world around them? And how can we give them the necessary life skills to be critical consumers in the marketplace?
It all starts with an open approach to media literacy in the classroom. Students need to be introduced to, and learn how to apply, the Key Concepts of Media Literacy:
- All media messages are constructions (Ask students - what type of “construction tools did they use to create the message? Actors, lighting, camera angles etc….)
- The media contain belief and value messages (what kind of lifestyle, values and point of view are being highlighted- and more importantly - who has been left out?)
- Each person interprets the message differently (how might other cultures, genders, religions understand this message?)
- The media have special interests - commercial, ideological and political (Who created the message and why?)
- Each medium has its own language, style, techniques, form etc…(determine the purpose of the message - learn the language of each media form)
Students also need to learn the Media Triangle (Ontario Literacy Curriculum) and how to apply it to the media in their lives. The triangle is a framework for understanding media texts in relation to Audience, Text and Production. Once students learn how to apply this framework in their school work, they will be in a better position to deconstruct the endless bombardment of ads in their lives. It will help them to make more informed consumer decisions that are based upon intellect, rather than those that appeal to their emotions.
For this shift to happen, teachers need to not only explicitly teach Media Literacy in English class, but also integrate into all subject areas. For example, students can look at, and deconstruct, ads in Science around climate change to learn about both perspectives. They can learn how different ethnic or cultural groups are portrayed in advertising and determine if they are able to accept it. Furthermore, they can create media texts to persuade and/or influence their peers’ behaviours. Through both roles, as an analyzer and a creator, students will have a better understanding of how media works and how it can be a tool of persuasion and manipulation.
It is therefore, imperative that students are taught how to be critical of what they see in their world. It is the only way advertisers will adjust their methods. We need our students to be respected as future citizens who will be able to use intellect rather than emotion and cultural influences. Gallup would be proud!