What is Media Education?
Media education is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach to the study of media. Media education deals with key media concepts, and focuses on broad issues such as the history and role of media in different societies, and the social, political, economic, and cultural issues related to the media. Instead of addressing the concepts in depth, as one would in media studies, media education deals with most of the central media concepts as they relate to a variety of subjects.
Why Media Education in B.C. Schools?
Popular music, television, film, radio, magazines, computer games, and information services, media, and media messages are pervasive in the lives of students today. Media education develops students' ability to think critically and independently about issues that affect them. Media education encourages students to identify and examine the values contained in media messages. It also cultivates the understanding that these messages are produced by others to inform, persuade, and entertain for a variety of purposes. Media education helps students understand the distortions that may result from the use of particular media practices and techniques. There are learning opportunities for media education in all curriculum areas. Media education is not taught as a separate curriculum.
The key concepts for media education are:
Examples of integrating key concepts are:
Language Arts English - students critique advertising and examine points of view
Visual Arts - students analyse the appeal of an image by age, gender, status, etc., of the designated audience
Drama - students critically view professional and amateur theatre productions, dramatic films, and television programs to identify purpose
Social Studies - students compare the depiction of First Nations in the media over time
This summary is derived from A Cross-Curriculur Planning Guide for Media Education prepared by the Canadian Association for Media Education for the Curriculum Branch in 1994.
Province of British Columbia
Ministry of Education
Curriculum Branch
© 1995 Copyright
Maintained by: Fine Arts Coordinator
Revised: November 8, 1995
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