4.1.1 Introduction – Media Education in your school

4.1.1 Introduction – Media Education in your school

Interactive Activity

In this activity we first remind students the definition of ME as it has been developed in Module 1. We then ask them to answer three open-ended questions to self-reflect about the place ME has in their school curriculum. Finally we ask them to choose one option to express their opinion about  three statements. For each choice, we develop an automated comment that helps them further reflect on their choice.

As you learned from Module 1, we’re all constantly surrounded by media messages (whether textual, audio, visual, etc. and whatever their source is), media education (and its outcome: media literacy) enables us to develop a critical understanding of these multiple messages: how they’re made, by whom, how they impact on our knowledge, cultural representations and  value system… Through activities of ‘reading’ and ‘writing’ the media, media education prepares individuals to consider media’s crucial role in today’s society and be responsible citizens that are able to play an active role in the development of a democratic, pluralistic and connected society.

Before going further into this module, we’d like to invite you to think about the following questions:

  1. Is media education practised in your school in any way?
  2. Have you been involved in media education activities on your own or in collaboration with other colleagues?
  3. Are media education activities usually supported by your head teacher?
  4. Are they officially included in the school curriculum? If they are, is it included in one discipline in particular?