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 youngsters to be educated, considerate, crucial thinkers,” mentioned Higgin. He cited information from Media Literacy Now that mentioned 84% of surveyed adults consider media literacy ought to be a required a part of college, whereas a examine from the Information Literacy Mission discovered that 94% of teenagers agree.
Regardless of widespread assist, many educators really feel not sure easy methods to strategy the subject, particularly in polarized environments. Beddes famous that almost all lecturers don’t have a background in media research, and discomfort round addressing controversial subjects can result in media literacy being sidelined. The Middle for Digital Thriving gives a attainable resolution with assets that assist educators take a nonpartisan, student-led strategy, 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 may be within the minority in a given group,” mentioned Saltwick. “However with just a few easy methods, you possibly can actually get dialogue going to verify all these views are heard.”
Saltwick really helpful utilizing a transparent construction for these conversations. He teaches the LAPP method — Pay attention, Acknowledge, Pivot, Perspective — as a technique 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 mistaken.’ It’s ‘let’s perceive.’”
Beddes agreed that construction might help college students navigate troublesome 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 device that evaluates the tone of speech, to assist college students floor their arguments in mutual respect.
When media literacy conversations contact on id, they are often significantly difficult. “False perception methods, 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 believe 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 like, “it may be very difficult to get one thing that feels genuine,” mentioned Higgin. “We have to more and more work out easy methods to handle the privateness and security and maturity degree of youngsters, however get them as a lot publicity to the precise media and pondering by means of the media in genuine environments as attainable.” That features analyzing the social media platforms college students already use since algorithms usually current a partial view of a subject as if it’s the entire fact and should reinforce college students’ current beliefs.
To push again in opposition to these filters, Saltwick leads an exercise known as Stroll a Mile in My Information, by which college students alternate the media they devour, reminiscent of a favourite information outlet or influencer, and mirror on the variations in perspective. Exploring information sources exterior of their ordinary echo chambers helps college students notice what views may be lacking from their very own sources.
Beddes provided an analogous exercise to encourage crucial pondering 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 might imply doing a brief “media second” the place college students mirror on how a latest viral publish pertains to what they’re studying in historical past or science. In accordance with Beddes, assets like The SIFT publication from the Information Literacy Mission 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 may well really feel like one other field to examine, however Beddes says it doesn’t should be that approach. “Make media the lens by means of which you educate your subject 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 yr, I went to the South by Southwest EDU convention in Austin, Texas.
Nimah Gobir: I moderated a panel all about media literacy and I acquired to speak to a few wonderful people who find themselves actually enthusiastic about this work.
Tanner Higgin: Hey everyone, I’m Tanner Higgin. I’m a senior academic expertise researcher at WestEd which is a big and outdated schooling analysis group centered on all ages and phases.
Kiera Beddes: Hello everybody, my identify is Kiera Beddes. I’m a digital educating and studying specialist in Utah. Been in schooling for about 15 years.
Steve Saltwick: And my identify is Steve Saltwick and I volunteer just about full time for a corporation known as Braver Angels, which is a nationwide nonprofit completely centered 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 whole lot of perception and coronary heart to that dialog. And at this time we’re sharing an excerpt of that panel. Stick with us.
Nimah Gobir: I wished to begin with a query that you simply all might reply a couple of second that made you notice how necessary media literacy is at this time.
Steve Saltwick: Proper after the mass capturing on the Marjory Stoner Douglas, the place a number of of the scholars grew to become 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 reasonably critical doc for me. So with righteous indignation, I posted this factor. After which got here to seek out out from a number of of my pals who posted saying that’s a pretend video and it simply completely surprised me. So I withdrew, you already know, I apologized it withdrew the publish You realize, and it made me actually suppose my goodness How highly effective a video picture was of one thing like that and I fell for it instantly. I noticed I wanted to be much more mature, if you’ll, I suppose in the best way I consumed media.
Kiera Beddes: I’ve type 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 already know, while you’re there for a few hours getting your nails achieved. 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 suppose that’s actual.” And so one-handedly I’d be like hurriedly like googling one thing on my telephone So I may very well be like this text says that’s not true or or these items additionally say type of the other and so it was this actually type 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 pondering these items and having these conversations in her house, what does that appear like in my classroom? What are my youngsters seeing and what’s impacting them? And I noticed the abilities of lateral studying, of reality checking, however even going past that to say why is it really easy to type of fall for these items? And in order that was my aha second. I used to be like, that is necessary and we have to do extra about it.
Tanner Higgin: Yeah, it could come at this from a special angle, which is, my tutorial background is extra within the media research world. And one factor I like about media literacy is that when achieved effectively, it type of unlocks an entire new layer of which means on the earth. The world comes alive when you begin to perceive audiovisual media and easy methods to interpret it and unpack it. And the completely different methods for understanding that by trying on the medium itself, proper, as a part of the structure of the which means of one thing. I had some nice intro to movie professors who type of gave me this new media research and media literacy lens, tapped into the, you already know, the entire notion of movie language, and it felt like I’d been let into this type of secret data that exists and might actually make which means all over the 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 once we had 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 we now have, even prior to now like two years, has grown by leaps and bounds. So are you able to type of body for us the best way that media literacy has advanced over time? Possibly even what historic traits have formed the best way that we educate it at this time.
Tanner Higgin: What I like about media literacy is that it type of displays tradition at the moment, however then shapes it as effectively. Media literacy schooling, curiously, is an entire different factor. And it actually grows out of coverage. And coverage, as I believe everybody is aware of, particularly in schooling, usually, must get pushed. And it usually will get pushed from a standpoint of worry, I might argue, particularly media literacy.
Tanner Higgin: You realize, these new applied sciences pop up and with it you see a brand new spark and curiosity in media literacy but it surely’s usually from a sense of “We have to do one thing for the kids as a result of this new expertise is horrifying and is reworking the whole lot we see.” You realize, tv to web, net publishing, eroding the entire thought of authority.
Tanner Higgin: Whereas conventional literacy, ELA type of instruction is all about like constructing bridges, opening up worlds for teenagers to love see and skim the world.
Tanner Higgin: Media literacy schooling when it will get operationalized by means of coverage is like organising fences. Like let’s defend and filter data and let’s be sure that youngsters have that functionality—Very, crucial, but it surely cuts off all the wonderful extraordinary points of media literacy.
Tanner Higgin: In order that’s kinda been my ardour. And the best way I type of suppose by means of 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 Training world. And the way possibly we might be much less reactive and extra proactive in media literacy schooling.
Nimah Gobir: I need to carry it to Kiera, who I’m so pleased to have on this panel, as a result of I really feel like once we rise up in theories and concepts, you being at college actually brings us again right down to the rubber meets the highway, ‘what does this appear like in lecture rooms?’ So are you able to possibly discuss a few of the challenges that you simply’re seeing with media literacy in your place in faculties?
Kiera Beddes: The most important factor that lecturers are all the time gonna say is that they want time. After which additionally, they are saying I can’t add another factor onto my plate. And so the issue with that although is that once we see media literacy as some type of different, then it will get left by the wayside as a result of they’re gonna concentrate on 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 by means of which you’ll be able to educate your content material. Media literacy, when it’s achieved effectively, you’re not simply trying on the movie or the message or the content material of no matter you’re , no matter media that you simply’re interacting with, however you’re additionally trying on the kind and the alternatives that had been made in manufacturing that influence the way you, the viewer, you, the patron, interacts with that media.
Nimah Gobir: Thanks, and I’m curious, Steve, you probably have 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 believe is an enormous a part of media literacy.
Steve Saltwick: What we’re centered on is the concept everybody has a perspective and a perspective, together with the media you devour. We’ve one program known as Stroll a Mile in My Information. So you are taking two individuals who have very completely different viewpoints, they usually truly change the sorts of media they devour. After which they discuss that. They usually notice, effectively, 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 mistaken, it’s simply to understand the truth that others have views which are fairly completely different from you, and you probably have 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 shouldn’t be what everyone sees?
Kiera Beddes: I’ve heard lecturers the place they’ll print out articles they usually 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 primarily based on the phrase selection, you possibly can type of see, oh, primarily based on how they’re speaking about this matter, you possibly can guess, is it left leaning, is correct leaning? And it type of calls to thoughts the final 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 are 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’s 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 carry you into this too, Tanner. Are there tech instruments or ed tech instruments that may type of foster this concept that, like I may be seeing like a sure factor, however I’m conscious that there’s a greater 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 centered on varied approaches to what one may name pretend information. I’m of two minds about these instruments as a result of I believe one of many tough issues with media literacy particularly is that if the medium is the message. Then you should have interaction with the medium to grasp it. Instruments that recreate media and attempt to like, particularly for youthful youngsters, approximate what a newsfeed would appear like. I believe it may be very difficult to get one thing that feels genuine to them.
Tanner Higgin: My suggestion is when attainable to get youngsters 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 believe we have to more and more work out easy methods to handle privateness and security and maturity degree of youngsters, however get them as a lot publicity to the precise media and pondering by means of the media in genuine environments as attainable, as a result of that’s what’s truly gonna serve them effectively when they’re. You realize, possibly sneaking some utilization of issues that we in any other case won’t approve of.
Nimah Gobir: If you had been talking, my mind snagged on, you talked about pretend information and I believe even the phrases misinformation and disinformation might be type of like politically coded and might really feel a bit bit divisive. Media literacy, I believe we talked about this too, generally is a non-partisan problem. What are some shared considerations that folks and educators throughout ideological strains can truly come collectively on?
Tanner Higgin: Yeah, I believe significantly at this second in time, it may well really feel like in schooling, there’s no widespread floor. However media literacy is considered one of, it has common assist. I believe it’s someplace round, media literacy now did a survey, like 84% of adults suppose it ought to be required in lecture rooms. And while you ask teenagers, 94% suppose it ought to be require in lecture rooms.
Tanner Higgin: Everybody needs youngsters to be educated, considerate, crucial 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 suppose 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 necessary or not.
Kiera Beddes: I might add to that, for the common 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 believe 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 effectively, is that with just a few easy methods, you possibly can actually get dialog going to verify 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 method known 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 while you pay attention, you’re not listening to border a reply, you’re listening to grasp. In Texas we name it, you pay attention to grasp not reload. You realize, and so, and that’s onerous work. That’s onerous, 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 already know, there’s a component I agree with. On the very least, you possibly can say, it’s clearly an emotional matter for you. After which alongside, one thing alongside the strains of, you already know I’ve been doing a little 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, effectively then you definately now have permission to share a differing perspective. And that’s dealt with otherwise than if the primary reply you’ve gotten is let me inform you my perspective, let me you what the reality is, proper? That’s gonna be resisted. We discover that as an amazingly highly effective method to make use of in these discussions.
Nimah Gobir: It appears 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 necessary part of a dialog not type 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 may be 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 kinds of belief that begins being constructed. There’s all kinds 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 mistaken.” It’s “Let’s perceive one another” as a result of each of us most likely missed one thing in understanding this sophisticated factor, no matter it’s, proper?
Nimah Gobir: And I ponder, that is possibly one thing that Steve, you, and possibly Kiera, you as effectively, can weigh in on. I do really feel like once we get into issues which are associated to possibly id, social id, issues which are seen as values or like near personhood, these can get actually, actually emotional very quick they usually’re type of unwieldy. It may be onerous, I might suppose as an educator, to facilitate these conversations, and I do know it’s actually onerous to be in these conversations. Do you’ve gotten any methods for, it appears like LAPP might work for one thing like that. Are there another belongings you’ve discovered that work?
Kiera Beddes: One in every of my favorites, and it sounds so easy, however having sentence stems obtainable for college kids… I’ve seen elementary college lecturers by means of center and highschool, while you’re going to have a dialog, and if it’s going to be a couple of heated matter, you’ve gotten type 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 checklist of them. However I believe 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 whole lot of what we see on-line is folks share instantly out of sturdy emotion, proper, both anger or worry or regardless of the case could also be. And so slowing down the response and actually getting at “why do I react this manner? Why am I feeling this manner?”
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 realize, right here’s what we’re doing, right here is how we’re going to do it, you already know, right here’s some quite simple floor roles but it surely’s not only a free for all of everyone 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 house 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 id 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 whole lot of enthusiastic about is like, I image this as a comparatively fashionable phenomenon, I believe spurred by social media and the way as a medium, situations tradition in a approach, the place false beliefs, false perception methods, 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’ll be able to educate folks in that place all the media literacy expertise on the earth and Dana Boyd had an ideal discuss on this, titled, “Did Media Literacy Backfire?” as a result of she was observing how in a few of these communities, crucial pondering expertise get utilized. They only go the mistaken approach. However I consider, I hypothesize, that to untether false perception from id takes humility. And that’s in very quick provide on the earth of social media. We’re virtually conditioned in opposition to it. And other people with false beliefs which are tethered to their id, 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 believe 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 actually take that significantly. I believe there are some however I believe much more work to be achieved and there’s a whole lot of analysis to be achieved in possibly proving me right or half right or fully false.
Nimah Gobir: That does make me consider, Kiera, you posed a query while you had been answering a query earlier, which was lecturers have to be type of empowered to type of tackle media literacy. And from what Tanner mentioned, it’s type of a tall order. What do you suppose lecturers have to get that work began?
Kiera Beddes: My reply to that is all the time to begin small, as a result of I don’t need to overwhelm lecturers, however I do need to begin, proper? Discover a path and head in that path. The assets, The SIFT from the information literacy challenge, so it’s a publication they put out every week. In it, they’ve rumor guard the place they take a viral piece of media they usually break down why it went viral and what was true and what’s false and type of serving to reinforce these expertise. That we wish our college students to realize.
Kiera Beddes: And I believe one thing so simple as a media second, proper? The place a trainer may very well be a classroom starter, it may very well be an exit ticket, it might something that you simply simply have two minutes, three minutes, pop up a chunk of media, and this may be something, proper, as a result of textual content may be very broadly primarily based. However then you’ve gotten your college students apply these expertise, you’re reinforcing these expertise. And as a trainer, you don’t should 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 which means behind how it’s created.
Nimah Gobir: MindShift is all about options. I believe it’s straightforward to get type of mired within the work that must be achieved. However I’m questioning, for all three of you, for those who can share an instance of somebody who’s doing this work effectively, whether or not it’s a corporation or an expertise that you simply’ve had the place it’s gone actually positively. You bought one, Steve?
Steve Saltwick: Nicely, 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 bunch of Trump voters and a bunch Hillary voters acquired very nervous in regards to 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 school 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 possibly 20%, 30% of them have been in the highschool and faculty space. What all the time strikes me is admittedly 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 an interesting approach of how we discuss different folks, particularly folks we disagree with.
Kiera Beddes: You’ll be able to have a look at articles, you possibly can have a look at speech, you may as well 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 actually consider this: KQED educate has an entire bunch of mini programs for educators about this very matter. One is easy methods to educate college students how to take a look at the shape and easy methods to analyze media and the way did have a look at bias and And easy methods to like share their views, which is nice. That’s type of the again finish, the speculation behind media literacy. However then in addition they provide very sensible, like, that is easy methods to do video tasks in your class. That is how do picture tasks in our class. Such as you be taught the speculation and then you definately apply it and I adore it. So these are my two.
Nimah Gobir: We didn’t pay Kiera to say that.
Kiera Beddes: I actually adore it a lot.
Tanner Higgin: I’ll level to the Middle for Digital Thriving out of Harvard, I believe, is doing a little actually path-breaking work round digital well-being particularly, which I believe is an more and more necessary a part of media literacy, is getting college students to mirror on the presence of smartphones of their lives and to suppose critically about it and resolve for themselves what function 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 Mission Zero Considering Routines framework, like actual easy pedagogical strikes anybody can apply to only about any studying situation. They usually’ve developed considered one of these known as The Worth Kind, the place you get college students to select from an enormous board of values which of them type of signify them, like which of them they maintain actually pricey. After which you should utilize that as a type of crucial 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, monitor like what they’re doing on their smartphones, after which go, hey, bear in mind these values that you simply maintain pricey? Like how are these being represented in that exercise or not, proper? And I believe that’s a approach of. Of offering college students with a very attention-grabbing lens to guarantee that like what they’re consuming and doing is in standing with what they honestly consider and their picture of themselves. And I believe that’s like, to me that’s an image of the way forward for media literacy is that this merging of conventional crucial pondering 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.
