The government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR) agreed ‘to strengthen media literacy through English’ and to make media literacy an ‘applied knowledge area’ with a cross-curricular focus. Both developments have the potential to transform students’ experience of media in schools, which currently lacks substantial statutory recognition and in many schools is not taught in any significant form.
Between 1990 and 2015 elements of media were always included in the National Curriculum programme of study for English. The resulting work was incredibly valuable to students and teachers, for many the most worthwhile part of the subject. EMC produced dozens of resources covering everything from cartoons to advertising, from short films to adaptations of Shakespeare, and from war photography to fanzines. We saw first-hand the value of media study in developing literacy, critical thinking and close analysis and in motivating students.
We hope that the new programme of study for English will revive this rich legacy but have some concerns, largely around the limited interpretation of what media in English might look like. Here’s what the government said in the section dealing with English:
Media literacy is an increasingly important skill to enable young people to identify ‘fake news’ and to spot different types of mis- and disinformation, especially online. Secure, well-founded knowledge is central to this; and we agree with the Review that exposure to a wide range of texts, including transient texts, is important so students can understand how arguments are constructed through different types of media, and are exposed to the various ways in which language can be used to persuade. The reformed English programme of study and English language GCSE will expose students to the study of a wide range of texts supporting them to analyse and challenge arguments, building media literacy. (31)
Teaching students how to spot and challenge mis- and disinformation is very important work, but framing media as a danger to be guarded against and ‘exposed’ to in a controlled environment risks missing the point for two reasons. First, it doesn’t allow students to learn about and through the various intellectually and socially enriching elements of media as they exist in the wider communication landscape; second, it suggests that media literacy can be taught and learned without a fuller engagement with media education.
Media literacy refers to the ability to analyse and critically evaluate texts, as well as to make texts with an understanding of their likely impact on different audiences. Media education refers to the process by which students learn about different aspects of the media – the language of the media, how different media forms work to create meaning, how to create different media products, and so on. In a sense, media education is a stepping stone towards media literacy. If young people are to develop media literacy skills, then they need a grounding in media education.
- For that reason, we hope that the new programme of study for English includes the following:
- References to media education as well as media literacy
- Opportunities for students to learn through making their own media products and reflecting on the process
- Reference to a broad range of media forms, including moving image ones
- An understanding of the learning that comes from studying and producing media texts, as well as the skills needed to recognise mis- and disinformation
Anyone who wants to explore further some of the issues around media literacy and media education can find a useful overview in David Buckingham’s response to a recent House of Lords report into media literacy. A more detailed exploration is available in Steve Connolly's book, The Changing Role of Media in the English Curriculum: Return to Nowhere.
Other EMC Curriculum Think Pieces
EMC Thinking About Curriculum - An Introduction
The Future of Language in KS3 and KS4 English
Standard(ised) English – an EMC think piece
Talk in the New National Curriculum
