Whereas media literacy can appear politically charged, its core targets are broadly shared. Phrases like “pretend information” or “misinformation” might elevate alarms, however “everybody needs children to be educated, considerate, important thinkers,” mentioned Higgin. He cited knowledge from Media Literacy Now that mentioned 84% of surveyed adults imagine media literacy ought to be a required a part of faculty, whereas a research from the Information Literacy Undertaking discovered that 94% of teenagers agree.
Regardless of widespread assist, many educators really feel not sure method the subject, particularly in polarized environments. Beddes famous that the majority lecturers don’t have a background in media research, and discomfort round addressing controversial matters can result in media literacy being sidelined. The Middle for Digital Thriving presents a doable resolution with assets that assist educators take a nonpartisan, student-led method, together with classroom-ready lesson plans and trainer coaching.
Construct a Tradition of Respectful Dialog
Media literacy isn’t nearly analyzing content material; it additionally requires college students to debate what they’re seeing and feeling, particularly after they disagree. “What we discover is many individuals are hesitant to share a view, particularly a view that is perhaps within the minority in a given group,” mentioned Saltwick. “However with a number of easy strategies, you possibly can actually get dialogue going to ensure all these views are heard.”
Saltwick beneficial utilizing a transparent construction for these conversations. He teaches the LAPP approach — Hear, Acknowledge, Pivot, Perspective — as a solution to mannequin respectful disagreement and construct belief. “The tenor of the dialog adjustments dramatically,” he mentioned. “So it’s not a battle of wills: ‘I’m proper, you’re incorrect.’ It’s ‘let’s perceive.’”
Beddes agreed that construction may help college students navigate tough discussions. She supplies sentence stems to assist them categorical curiosity and reply with out escalating battle. In her classroom, she additionally makes use of the Dignity Index, a instrument that evaluates the tone of speech, to assist college students floor their arguments in mutual respect.
When media literacy conversations contact on identification, they are often notably difficult. “False perception programs, conspiracy theories, can fuse to folks’s identities now. And that’s one thing that any variety of expertise can’t unwind,” mentioned Higgin. “That’s why I feel media literacy must not simply be about expertise—it must be about character and social-emotional studying.”
Use Actual Media, Not Hypotheticals
To be efficient, media literacy schooling should have interaction with the precise media college students encounter of their every day lives. Whereas there are instruments that recreate media and attempt to approximate what a newsfeed would appear to be, “it may be very difficult to get one thing that feels genuine,” mentioned Higgin. “We have to more and more work out handle the privateness and security and maturity degree of youngsters, however get them as a lot publicity to the precise media and considering via the media in genuine environments as doable.” That features analyzing the social media platforms college students already use since algorithms typically current a partial view of a subject as if it’s the entire reality and will reinforce college students’ present beliefs.
To push again towards these filters, Saltwick leads an exercise referred to as Stroll a Mile in My Information, by which college students change the media they devour, equivalent to a favourite information outlet or influencer, and mirror on the variations in perspective. Exploring information sources outdoors of their normal echo chambers helps college students notice what views is perhaps lacking from their very own sources.
Beddes supplied an analogous exercise to encourage important considering and spotlight bias. She shares information articles from shops with completely different political leanings, removes the names of the publications and authors and asks college students to guess the supply. “It’s serving to the scholars acknowledge who’s not a part of this dialog,” she mentioned.
Moreover, beginning small could make the work extra sustainable and extra impactful. That would imply doing a brief “media second” the place college students mirror on how a current viral publish pertains to what they’re studying in historical past or science. In accordance with Beddes, assets like The SIFT e-newsletter from the Information Literacy Undertaking can assist this type of integration by offering well timed examples and evaluation of actual media.
Academics are sometimes hesitant to tackle media literacy as a result of it could actually really feel like one other field to examine, however Beddes says it doesn’t must be that approach. “Make media the lens via which you train your material in order that it isn’t simply one other factor,” she suggested.
Episode Transcript
Nimah Gobir: Welcome to Thoughts Shift, the podcast about the way forward for studying and the way we elevate our children. I’m Nimah Gobir. This 12 months, I went to the South by Southwest EDU convention in Austin, Texas.
Nimah Gobir: I moderated a panel all about media literacy and I obtained to speak to 3 wonderful people who find themselves actually fascinated about this work.
Tanner Higgin: Hey all people, I’m Tanner Higgin. I’m a senior academic expertise researcher at WestEd which is a big and previous schooling analysis group targeted on all ages and phases.
Kiera Beddes: Hello everybody, my title is Kiera Beddes. I’m a digital educating and studying specialist in Utah. Been in schooling for about 15 years.
Steve Saltwick: And my title is Steve Saltwick and I volunteer just about full time for a company referred to as Braver Angels, which is a nationwide nonprofit completely targeted on bridging the political divide in all demographic areas as a result of we really feel that’s important in strengthening our democratic republic.
Nimah Gobir: Collectively, they introduced a number of perception and coronary heart to that dialog. And as we speak we’re sharing an excerpt of that panel. Stick with us.
Nimah Gobir: I wished to begin with a query that you simply all may reply a few second that made you notice how vital media literacy is as we speak.
Steve Saltwick: Proper after the mass taking pictures on the Marjory Stoner Douglas, the place a number of of the scholars turned fairly energetic and well-known on social media. I bear in mind seeing a publish on my social feeds of these college students ripping up a replica of the Structure. And I’m a conservative. I imply, the Structure’s a fairly critical doc for me. So with righteous indignation, I posted this factor. After which got here to search out out from a number of of my pals who posted saying that’s a pretend video and it simply completely shocked me. So I withdrew, you realize, I apologized it withdrew the publish You understand, and it made me actually assume my goodness How highly effective a video picture was of one thing like that and I fell for it instantly. I spotted I wanted to be much more mature, if you’ll, I suppose in the way in which I consumed media.
Kiera Beddes: I’ve sort of an analogous expertise. I used to be at my nail tech and I used to be a captive viewers as a result of, you realize, once you’re there for a few hours getting your nails performed. And she or he’d be telling me, “Oh, I noticed this factor on TikTok and isn’t that the craziest factor you’ve ever heard?” And I’d be like, “I don’t assume that’s actual.” And so one-handedly I’d be like hurriedly like googling one thing on my telephone So I could possibly be like this text says that’s not true or or these items additionally say sort of the other and so it was this actually sort of aha second that I had the place She was seeing issues and her algorithm was telling her issues that weren’t crossing my dashboard And I simply realized that like oh if she is is considering these items and having these conversations in her residence, what does that appear to be in my classroom? What are my children seeing and what’s impacting them? And I spotted the talents of lateral studying, of truth checking, however even going past that to say why is it really easy to sort of fall for these items? And in order that was my aha second. I used to be like, that is vital and we have to do extra about it.
Tanner Higgin: Yeah, it might come at this from a special angle, which is, my educational background is extra within the media research world. And one factor I like about media literacy is that when performed nicely, it kind of unlocks an entire new layer of that means on the planet. The world comes alive when you begin to perceive audiovisual media and interpret it and unpack it. And the completely different programs for understanding that by trying on the medium itself, proper, as a part of the structure of the that means of one thing. I had some nice intro to movie professors who kind of gave me this new media research and media literacy lens, tapped into the, you realize, the entire notion of movie language, and it felt like I’d been let into this kind of secret information that exists and might actually make that means in every single place you look when you faucet into it.
Nimah Gobir: Thanks. And I do need to begin with asking you a query, Tanner, since you truly dropped at my consideration after we have been first discussing this session that media literacy has reworked all through time as a result of our world can also be altering. Just like the expertise that now we have, even prior to now like two years, has grown by leaps and bounds. So are you able to sort of body for us the way in which that media literacy has advanced over time? Possibly even what historic traits have formed the way in which that we train it as we speak.
Tanner Higgin: What I like about media literacy is that it sort of displays tradition at the moment, however then shapes it as nicely. Media literacy schooling, curiously, is an entire different factor. And it actually grows out of coverage. And coverage, as I feel everybody is aware of, particularly in schooling, typically, must get pushed. And it typically will get pushed from a standpoint of concern, I might argue, particularly media literacy.
Tanner Higgin: You understand, these new applied sciences pop up and with it you see a brand new spark and curiosity in media literacy nevertheless it’s typically from a sense of “We have to do one thing for the youngsters as a result of this new expertise is frightening and is reworking every little thing we see.” You understand, tv to web, net publishing, eroding the entire concept of authority.
Tanner Higgin: Whereas conventional literacy, ELA sort of instruction is all about like constructing bridges, opening up worlds for teenagers to love see and browse the world.
Tanner Higgin: Media literacy schooling when it will get operationalized via coverage is like organising fences. Like let’s defend and filter info and let’s ensure children have that functionality—Very, essential, nevertheless it cuts off all the wonderful extraordinary points of media literacy.
Tanner Higgin: In order that’s kinda been my ardour. And the way in which I kind of assume via media historical past, media literacy historical past is that this battle between what occurs within the media research world and what occurs within the Media Literacy Schooling world. And the way possibly we could be much less reactive and extra proactive in media literacy schooling.
Nimah Gobir: I need to deliver it to Kiera, who I’m so pleased to have on this panel, as a result of I really feel like after we rise up in theories and concepts, you being in school actually brings us again all the way down to the rubber meets the street, ‘what does this appear to be in school rooms?’ So are you able to possibly discuss a number of the challenges that you simply’re seeing with media literacy in your place in faculties?
Kiera Beddes: The largest factor that lecturers are at all times gonna say is that they want time. After which additionally, they are saying I can’t add yet another factor onto my plate. And so the issue with that although is that after we see media literacy as some kind of different, then it will get left by the wayside as a result of they’re gonna deal with their content material.
Kiera Beddes: Whereas like I attempt to emphasize with my lecturers, media literacy isn’t one other factor, it turns into the lens via which you’ll be able to train your content material. Media literacy, when it’s performed nicely, you’re not simply trying on the movie or the message or the content material of no matter you’re taking a look at, no matter media that you simply’re interacting with, however you’re additionally trying on the kind and the alternatives that have been made in manufacturing that impression the way you, the viewer, you, the patron, interacts with that media.
Nimah Gobir: Thanks, and I’m curious, Steve, when you’ve got something so as to add to that, as a result of I do know that Braver Angels is within the enterprise of making containers for higher conversations, which I feel is an enormous a part of media literacy.
Steve Saltwick: What we’re targeted on is the concept everybody has a perspective and a perspective, together with the media you devour. We now have one program referred to as Stroll a Mile in My Information. So you are taking two individuals who have very completely different viewpoints, and so they truly change the sorts of media they devour. After which they discuss that. And so they notice, nicely, wait a minute, I’m lacking issues, as a result of I’m not studying what the opposite individual is studying, and far of this isn’t that one is correct or one is incorrect, it’s simply to understand the truth that others have views which can be fairly completely different from you, and when you’ve got floor guidelines that set the stage for a respectful dialog about that, you possibly can actually get to an extra appreciation of what the subject is.
Nimah Gobir: I’ve heard of different lecturers doing actions the place they’ve their college students swap telephones and undergo one another’s feeds to see what are you seeing? How is it completely different from what I’m seeing? Kiera, have you ever seen any actions which have truly been profitable in having college students notice that what I see just isn’t what all people sees?
Kiera Beddes: I’ve heard lecturers the place they may print out articles and so they take away all figuring out options of the article in order that they’re simply trying on the language that’s used within the article. And based mostly on the phrase alternative, you possibly can sort of see, oh, based mostly on how they’re speaking about this subject, you possibly can guess, is it left leaning, is correct leaning? And it sort of calls to thoughts the last word promise of media literacy, which is like trying on the kind, proper? What’s the construction and the way is it used and what decisions are getting used. However there’s additionally views which can be noticeably absent and it’s serving to the scholars acknowledge who’s not a part of this dialog. Simply being conscious of like, oh, there may be extra to this and the way can I’m going out and discover that lacking perspective and produce it in.
Nimah Gobir: And I need to deliver you into this too, Tanner. Are there tech instruments or ed tech instruments that may sort of foster this concept that, like I is perhaps seeing like a sure factor, however I’m conscious that there’s a larger story or an even bigger narrative on the market past what I see alone feeds.
Tanner Higgin: Since I might say 2016, there’s been a rising sector inside ed tech particularly targeted on varied approaches to what one would possibly name pretend information. I’m of two minds about these instruments as a result of I feel one of many difficult issues with media literacy specifically is that if the medium is the message. Then it’s worthwhile to have interaction with the medium to know it. Instruments that recreate media and try to like, particularly for youthful children, approximate what a newsfeed would appear to be. I feel it may be very difficult to get one thing that feels genuine to them.
Tanner Higgin: My advice is when doable to get children participating with the precise media itself. In any other case, it’s such as you’re educating movie research by having college students studying movie synopses or one thing as an alternative of trying on the precise movie.
Tanner Higgin: I feel we have to more and more work out handle privateness and security and maturity degree of youngsters, however get them as a lot publicity to the precise media and considering via the media in genuine environments as doable, as a result of that’s what’s truly gonna serve them nicely when they’re. You understand, possibly sneaking some utilization of issues that we in any other case may not approve of.
Nimah Gobir: Once you have been talking, my mind snagged on, you talked about pretend information and I feel even the phrases misinformation and disinformation could be sort of like politically coded and might really feel just a little bit divisive. Media literacy, I feel we talked about this too, generally is a non-partisan challenge. What are some shared considerations that oldsters and educators throughout ideological strains can truly come collectively on?
Tanner Higgin: Yeah, I feel notably at this second in time, it could actually really feel like in schooling, there’s no widespread floor. However media literacy is one among, it has common assist. I feel it’s someplace round, media literacy now did a survey, like 84% of adults assume it ought to be required in school rooms. And once you ask teenagers, 94% assume it ought to be require in school rooms.
Tanner Higgin: Everybody needs children to be educated, considerate, important thinkers. I imply, everybody needs that. It’s on the coronary heart of schooling, proper? Media literacy is on the core of what we wish schooling to do, which is to empower folks to be self-determined, to assume for themselves, and to discover and have interaction with the world thoughtfully. There is no such thing as a debate round whether or not that’s vital or not.
Kiera Beddes: I might add to that, for the typical trainer, they don’t have the background of media research to then really feel comfy speaking about it of their courses. And so it will get put onto the wayside. And so I feel it’s attention-grabbing that we see this common want for it. However then the query is, how will we empower lecturers to do it?
Steve Saltwick: What we discover within the classroom, each in secondary faculties and college, and actually adults as nicely, is that with a number of easy strategies, you possibly can actually get dialog going to ensure all these views are heard and issues like that. I imply, so a few simply easy floor guidelines, proper, of respectful dialog, particularly physique language, so no rolling of your eyes, sighing and issues that, and simply state them is an enormous deal. After which what we use is a quite simple approach referred to as LAPP for pay attention, acknowledge, pivot and perspective. And actually the primary factor about all of that’s that the speaker must really feel that they’re understood. So once you pay attention, you’re not listening to border a reply, you’re listening to know. In Texas we name it, you pay attention to know not reload. You understand, and so, and that’s arduous work. That’s arduous, proper? After which the pivot is to really ask permission earlier than you share your perspective. So somebody would say, I hear you. That is what, you realize, there’s a component I agree with. On the very least, you possibly can say, it’s clearly an emotional subject for you. After which alongside, one thing alongside the strains of, you realize I’ve been performing some studying on this, or I’ve seen some issues on this. Would you thoughts if I share my perspective? After which if the opposite individual says, positive, nicely then you definately now have permission to share a differing perspective. And that’s dealt with in another way than if the primary reply you may have is let me let you know my perspective, let me you what the reality is, proper? That’s gonna be resisted. We discover that as an amazingly highly effective approach to make use of in these discussions.
Nimah Gobir: It feels like that course of slows down the dialog in a approach the place it’s not as reactive. And that looks as if a very vital element of a dialog not sort of devolving into, I don’t know, finger pointing or speaking previous one another.
Steve Saltwick: What we discover is many individuals are hesitant to share a view, particularly a view that is perhaps within the minority in a given group, proper? And in the event that they really feel heard, if somebody says what you’re saying is blah, proper, whether or not you agree with blah or not, proper. However I now really feel heard. Then there’s all types of belief that begins being constructed. There’s all types of personalization that begins being constructed. And the tenor of the dialog adjustments dramatically. So it’s not a battle of wills. “I’m proper, you’re incorrect.” It’s “Let’s perceive one another” as a result of each of us most likely missed one thing in understanding this difficult factor, no matter it’s, proper?
Nimah Gobir: And I ponder, that is possibly one thing that Steve, you, and possibly Kiera, you as nicely, can weigh in on. I do really feel like after we get into issues which can be associated to possibly identification, social identification, issues which can be seen as values or like near personhood, these can get actually, actually emotional very quick and so they’re sort of unwieldy. It may be arduous, I might assume as an educator, to facilitate these conversations, and I do know it’s actually arduous to be in these conversations. Do you may have any methods for, it feels like LAPP may work for one thing like that. Are there every other belongings you’ve discovered that work?
Kiera Beddes: One among my favorites, and it sounds so easy, however having sentence stems accessible for college students… I’ve seen elementary faculty lecturers via center and highschool, once you’re going to have a dialog, and if it’s going to be a few heated subject, you may have sort of these sentence starters of like, okay, I see the place you’re coming from, or that is my perspective, or. And there’s like an entire record of them. However I feel it helps give college students a framework for having a dialog, proper? And I liked what you mentioned about slowing the dialog down as a result of a number of what we see on-line is folks share instantly out of robust emotion, proper, both anger or concern or regardless of the case could also be. And so slowing down the response and actually getting at “why do I react this fashion? Why am I feeling this fashion?”
Steve Saltwick: One factor we’ve discovered with Braver Angels is that the significance of construction, proper? So we could have some easy floor guidelines and there’s additionally a transparent construction to the dialog. You understand, right here’s what we’re doing, right here is how we’re going to do it, you realize, right here’s some quite simple floor roles nevertheless it’s not only a free for all of all people leaping in, speaking over each other, all of that. By having floor guidelines and a construction to the dialog, you create a a lot open area for folks to share their concepts.
Nimah Gobir: Tanner, was there something you wished so as to add to that?
Tanner Higgin: I’m actually struck by this notion of identification and values and the way it comes into play within the interpretation of media and the way we obtain it and perceive it and what we cling to. And one factor I’ve actually been doing a number of fascinated about is like, I image this as a comparatively fashionable phenomenon, I feel spurred by social media and the way as a medium, circumstances tradition in a approach, the place false beliefs, false perception programs, conspiracy theories, can fuse to folks’s identities now. And that’s one thing that any variety of expertise can’t unwind.
Tanner Higgin: You may train folks in that place all the media literacy expertise on the planet and Dana Boyd had an awesome speak on this, titled, “Did Media Literacy Backfire?” as a result of she was observing how in a few of these communities, important considering expertise get utilized. They simply go the incorrect approach. However I imagine, I hypothesize, that to untether false perception from identification takes humility. And that’s in very brief provide on the planet of social media. We’re virtually conditioned towards it. And other people with false beliefs which can be tethered to their identification, it turns into like their complete world can come crumbling down if they’re to take a special view.
Tanner Higgin: And that’s why I feel media literacy must not simply be about expertise, it must be about character. And social-emotional studying and that I haven’t seen many approaches that basically take that critically. I feel there are some however I feel much more work to be performed and there’s a number of analysis to be performed in possibly proving me appropriate or half appropriate or fully false.
Nimah Gobir: That does make me consider, Kiera, you posed a query once you have been answering a query earlier, which was lecturers have to be sort of empowered to sort of tackle media literacy. And from what Tanner mentioned, it’s sort of a tall order. What do you assume lecturers must get that work began?
Kiera Beddes: My reply to that is at all times to begin small, as a result of I don’t need to overwhelm lecturers, however I do need to begin, proper? Discover a course and head in that course. The assets, The SIFT from the information literacy mission, so it’s a e-newsletter they put out every week. In it, they’ve rumor guard the place they take a viral piece of media and so they break down why it went viral and what was true and what’s false and sort of serving to reinforce these expertise. That we wish our college students to achieve.
Kiera Beddes: And I feel one thing so simple as a media second, proper? The place a trainer could possibly be a classroom starter, it could possibly be an exit ticket, it may something that you simply simply have two minutes, three minutes, pop up a bit of media, and this may be something, proper, as a result of textual content may be very broadly based mostly. However then you may have your college students apply these expertise, you’re reinforcing these expertise. And as a trainer, you don’t must have a level in media analyzes, however you’re serving to them break down not solely what are they seeing, like what’s the content material, however you additionally ask them questions on the way it was created and what’s that means behind how it’s created.
Nimah Gobir: MindShift is all about options. I feel it’s straightforward to get sort of mired within the work that must be performed. However I’m questioning, for all three of you, for those who can share an instance of somebody who’s doing this work nicely, whether or not it’s a company or an expertise that you simply’ve had the place it’s gone actually positively. You bought one, Steve?
Steve Saltwick: Effectively, I might say Braver Angels, proper? I imply, what a layup, okay, proper, however I definitely know one factor that strikes me about Braver Angels. It began in 2016 the place a gaggle of Trump voters and a gaggle Hillary voters obtained very apprehensive concerning the state of the nation and it was all adults, right-typically retired adults and all of that. After which subsequently has branched out to varsity campuses, excessive faculties, some center faculties. And we do workshops, and I’ve moderated a lot of these workshops. I’ve most likely seen about 100 workshops, and doubtless 20%, 30% of them have been in the highschool and faculty space. What at all times strikes me is de facto unbelievable is the thirst that I see in college students to have actual conversations about this.
Kiera Beddes: I’ve two that got here to thoughts. One is similar to the work that Braver Angels is doing, so the Dignity Index, they’ve developed this rating scale of public speech and whether or not or not it provides dignity to the people who they’re speaking about, which is a captivating approach of taking a look at how we discuss different folks, particularly folks we disagree with.
Kiera Beddes: You may have a look at articles, you possibly can have a look at speech, you too can have a look at conversations between college students, proper? What sort of dignity are you providing the opposite individual and the way are you validating their perspective? In order that’s one.
Kiera Beddes: The second and I’m not simply saying this however I truthfully imagine this: KQED train has an entire bunch of mini programs for educators about this very subject. One is train college students how to have a look at the shape and analyze media and the way did have a look at bias and And like share their views, which is nice. That’s sort of the again finish, the idea behind media literacy. However then additionally they supply very sensible, like, that is do video initiatives in your class. That is how do picture initiatives in our class. Such as you be taught the idea and then you definately apply it and I find it irresistible. So these are my two.
Nimah Gobir: We didn’t pay Kiera to say that.
Kiera Beddes: I truthfully find it irresistible a lot.
Tanner Higgin: I’ll level to the Middle for Digital Thriving out of Harvard, I feel, is performing some actually path-breaking work round digital well-being particularly, which I feel is an more and more vital a part of media literacy, is getting college students to mirror on the presence of smartphones of their lives and to assume critically about it and determine for themselves what goal it ought to serve and if it’s serving these functions.
Tanner Higgin: And to that finish, that analysis group on the Middle for Digital Thriving developed an exercise that’s rooted in Harvard’s long-term Undertaking Zero Considering Routines framework, like actual easy pedagogical strikes anybody can apply to simply about any studying situation. And so they’ve developed one among these referred to as The Worth Kind, the place you get college students to select from an enormous board of values which of them sort of signify them, like which of them they maintain actually expensive. After which you should use that as a kind of important lens to use to absolutely anything within the media world.
Tanner Higgin: So their instance is utilizing that worth kind to get college students to consider their utilization of smartphones, observe like what they’re doing on their smartphones, after which go, hey, bear in mind these values that you simply maintain expensive? Like how are these being represented in that exercise or not, proper? And I feel that’s a approach of. Of offering college students with a very attention-grabbing lens to make it possible for like what they’re consuming and doing is in standing with what they honestly imagine and their picture of themselves. And I feel that’s like, to me that’s an image of the way forward for media literacy is that this merging of conventional important considering expertise with values and character-based schooling.
Nimah Gobir: Can we give a spherical of applause to our panelists?
Nimah Gobir: That was Tanner Higgin, Kiera Bettes, and Steve Saltwick on the SXSW EDU Convention in Austin, Texas.
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