Whereas media literacy can appear politically charged, its core objectives are broadly shared. Phrases like “faux information” or “misinformation” could elevate alarms, however “everybody desires children to be educated, considerate, essential thinkers,” mentioned Higgin. He cited knowledge from Media Literacy Now that mentioned 84% of surveyed adults consider media literacy must be a required a part of college, whereas a research from the Information Literacy Mission discovered that 94% of teenagers agree.
Regardless of widespread help, many educators really feel uncertain how one can 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 subjects can result in media literacy being sidelined. The Middle for Digital Thriving gives a attainable answer with assets that assist educators take a nonpartisan, student-led method, together with classroom-ready lesson plans and instructor 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 once they disagree. “What we discover is many individuals are hesitant to share a view, particularly a view that is likely to be within the minority in a given group,” mentioned Saltwick. “However with a couple of easy strategies, you’ll be able to actually get an excellent dialogue going to verify all these views are heard.”
Saltwick beneficial utilizing a transparent construction for these conversations. He teaches the LAPP method — Pay attention, Acknowledge, Pivot, Perspective — as a option 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 unsuitable.’ It’s ‘let’s perceive.’”
Beddes agreed that construction may also help college students navigate tough discussions. She offers 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 software 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 individuals’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 training should interact with the precise media college students encounter of their each 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 determine how one can handle the privateness and security and maturity degree of children, however get them as a lot publicity to the precise media and considering by the media in genuine environments as attainable.” 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 in opposition to these filters, Saltwick leads an exercise referred to as Stroll a Mile in My Information, during which college students alternate the media they eat, similar to a favourite information outlet or influencer, and replicate on the variations in perspective. Exploring information sources exterior of their normal echo chambers helps college students notice what views is likely to be lacking from their very own sources.
Beddes supplied an analogous exercise to encourage essential considering and spotlight bias. She shares information articles from shops with totally 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 replicate on how a latest viral put up pertains to what they’re studying in historical past or science. In response to Beddes, assets like The SIFT publication from the Information Literacy Mission can help this type of integration by offering well timed examples and evaluation of actual media.
Lecturers are sometimes hesitant to tackle media literacy as a result of it might really feel like one other field to examine, however Beddes says it doesn’t need to be that method. “Make media the lens by which you train your material in order that it’s not 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 acquired to speak to 3 wonderful people who find themselves actually fascinated with this work.
Tanner Higgin: Hey everyone, I’m Tanner Higgin. I’m a senior instructional expertise researcher at WestEd which is a big and outdated training analysis group centered on all ages and levels.
Kiera Beddes: Hello everybody, my title is Kiera Beddes. I’m a digital educating and studying specialist in Utah. Been in training 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 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 numerous perception and coronary heart to that dialog. And right this moment we’re sharing an excerpt of that panel. Stick with us.
Nimah Gobir: I needed to begin with a query that you simply all might reply a few second that made you notice how essential media literacy is right this moment.
Steve Saltwick: Proper after the mass capturing on the Marjory Stoner Douglas, the place a number of of the scholars grew to become fairly lively and well-known on social media. I bear in mind seeing a put up on my social feeds of these college students ripping up a duplicate of the Structure. And I’m a conservative. I imply, the Structure’s a reasonably severe 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 mates who posted saying that’s a faux video and it simply completely surprised me. So I withdrew, you understand, I apologized it withdrew the put up You realize, 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 noticed I wanted to be much more mature, if you’ll, I suppose in the way in which I consumed media.
Kiera Beddes: I’ve form 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 understand, once 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 assume that’s actual.” And so one-handedly I’d be like hurriedly like googling one thing on my cellphone So I may very well be like this text says that’s not true or or this stuff additionally say form of the other and so it was this actually form 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 this stuff and having these conversations in her dwelling, what does that appear like in my classroom? What are my children seeing and what’s impacting them? And I noticed the abilities of lateral studying, of truth checking, however even going past that to say why is it really easy to form of fall for this stuff? And in order that was my aha second. I used to be like, that is essential and we have to do extra about it.
Tanner Higgin: Yeah, it could come at this from a unique 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 kind of unlocks a complete new layer of which means on this planet. The world comes alive when you begin to perceive audiovisual media and how one can interpret it and unpack it. And the totally different programs for understanding that by wanting 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 kind of gave me this new media research and media literacy lens, tapped into the, you understand, 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 which means in all places you look when you faucet into it.
Nimah Gobir: Thanks. And I do wish 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 we have now, even previously like two years, has grown by leaps and bounds. So are you able to form of body for us the way in which that media literacy has advanced over time? Perhaps even what historic traits have formed the way in which that we train it right this moment.
Tanner Higgin: What I like about media literacy is that it form of displays tradition at the moment, however then shapes it as effectively. Media literacy training, curiously, is a complete different factor. And it actually grows out of coverage. And coverage, as I believe everybody is aware of, particularly in training, typically, must get pushed. And it typically will get pushed from a standpoint of concern, I’d 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 nevertheless it’s typically from a sense of “We have to do one thing for the kids as a result of this new expertise is frightening and is reworking all the pieces we see.” You realize, tv to web, net publishing, eroding the entire thought of authority.
Tanner Higgin: Whereas conventional literacy, ELA form of instruction is all about like constructing bridges, opening up worlds for teenagers to love see and skim the world.
Tanner Higgin: Media literacy training when it will get operationalized by coverage is like organising fences. Like let’s shield and filter info and let’s make certain 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 by 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 could be much less reactive and extra proactive in media literacy training.
Nimah Gobir: I wish to convey it to Kiera, who I’m so joyful to have on this panel, as a result of I really feel like after we stand 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 number of the challenges that you simply’re seeing with media literacy in your place in colleges?
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 give attention to 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 which you’ll be able to train your content material. Media literacy, when it’s achieved effectively, you’re not simply wanting 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 wanting on the kind and the alternatives that have been made in manufacturing that influence the way you, the viewer, you, the buyer, interacts with that media.
Nimah Gobir: Thanks, and I’m curious, Steve, when you 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 that everybody has a perspective and a viewpoint, together with the media you eat. We’ve got one program referred to as Stroll a Mile in My Information. So you are taking two individuals who have very totally different viewpoints, they usually truly swap the sorts of media they eat. After which they discuss that. And so they 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 true or one is unsuitable, it’s simply to understand the truth that others have views which might be fairly totally different from you, and when you have floor guidelines that set the stage for a respectful dialog about that, you’ll be able to 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 totally 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 are going to print out articles they usually take away all figuring out options of the article in order that they’re simply wanting on the language that’s used within the article. And primarily based on the phrase selection, you’ll be able to form of see, oh, primarily based on how they’re speaking about this matter, you’ll be able to guess, is it left leaning, is true leaning? And it form of calls to thoughts the last word promise of media literacy, which is like wanting 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 might 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’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 wish to convey you into this too, Tanner. Are there tech instruments or ed tech instruments that may form of foster this concept that, like I is likely to 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 by myself feeds.
Tanner Higgin: Since I’d say 2016, there’s been a rising sector inside ed tech particularly centered on varied approaches to what one would possibly name faux information. I’m of two minds about these instruments as a result of I believe one of many difficult issues with media literacy specifically is that if the medium is the message. Then you might want to interact with the medium to know it. Instruments that recreate media and try to like, particularly for youthful children, 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 advice is when attainable to get children partaking 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 a substitute of wanting on the precise movie.
Tanner Higgin: I believe we have to more and more determine how one can handle privateness and security and maturity degree of children, however get them as a lot publicity to the precise media and considering by 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: Once you have been talking, my mind snagged on, you talked about faux information and I believe even the phrases misinformation and disinformation could be form of like politically coded and might really feel a bit of bit divisive. Media literacy, I believe we talked about this too, could be a non-partisan challenge. What are some shared considerations that folks and educators throughout ideological strains can truly come collectively on?
Tanner Higgin: Yeah, I believe notably at this second in time, it might really feel like in training, there’s no widespread floor. However media literacy is one in all, it has common help. I believe it’s someplace round, media literacy now did a survey, like 84% of adults assume it must be required in lecture rooms. And once you ask teenagers, 94% assume it must be require in lecture rooms.
Tanner Higgin: Everybody desires children to be educated, considerate, essential thinkers. I imply, everybody desires that. It’s on the coronary heart of training, proper? Media literacy is on the core of what we would like training to do, which is to empower individuals to be self-determined, to assume for themselves, and to discover and interact with the world thoughtfully. There is no such thing as a debate round whether or not that’s essential or not.
Kiera Beddes: I’d add to that, for the common instructor, they don’t have the background of media research to then really feel snug speaking about it of their courses. And so it will get put onto the wayside. And so I believe it’s fascinating that we see this common want for it. However then the query is, how can we empower lecturers to do it?
Steve Saltwick: What we discover within the classroom, each in secondary colleges and college, and actually adults as effectively, is that with a couple of easy strategies, you’ll be able to actually get an excellent 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 referred to as LAPP for pay attention, acknowledge, pivot and perspective. And actually the principle 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 realize, and so, and that’s exhausting work. That’s exhausting, 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 understand, there’s a component I agree with. On the very least, you’ll be able to say, it’s clearly an emotional matter for you. After which alongside, one thing alongside the strains of, you understand 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, effectively then you definately now have permission to share a differing perspective. And that’s dealt with in a different way than if the primary reply you have got 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 method to make use of in these discussions.
Nimah Gobir: It feels like that course of slows down the dialog in a method the place it’s not as reactive. And that looks as if a very essential element of a dialog not form 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 likely to 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 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 unsuitable.” 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 after we get into issues which might be associated to possibly identification, social identification, issues which might be seen as values or like near personhood, these can get actually, actually emotional very quick they usually’re form of unwieldy. It may be exhausting, I’d assume as an educator, to facilitate these conversations, and I do know it’s actually exhausting to be in these conversations. Do you have got any methods for, it feels like LAPP might work for one thing like that. Are there some other stuff you’ve discovered that work?
Kiera Beddes: One among my favorites, and it sounds so easy, however having sentence stems accessible for college kids… I’ve seen elementary college lecturers by center and highschool, once you’re going to have a dialog, and if it’s going to be a few heated matter, you have got form 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 a complete record 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 numerous what we see on-line is individuals share instantly out of sturdy 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 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 may 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 understand, right here’s some quite simple floor roles nevertheless it’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 individuals to share their concepts.
Nimah Gobir: Tanner, was there something you needed 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 numerous fascinated with is like, I image this as a comparatively trendy phenomenon, I believe spurred by social media and the way as a medium, circumstances tradition in a method, the place false beliefs, false perception programs, conspiracy theories, can fuse to individuals’s identities now. And that’s one thing that any variety of expertise can’t unwind.
Tanner Higgin: You possibly can train individuals in that place all the media literacy expertise on this planet and Dana Boyd had a terrific discuss on this, titled, “Did Media Literacy Backfire?” as a result of she was observing how in a few of these communities, essential considering expertise get utilized. They simply go the unsuitable method. However I consider, I hypothesize, that to untether false perception from identification takes humility. And that’s in very brief provide on this planet of social media. We’re nearly conditioned in opposition to it. And folks with false beliefs which might be tethered to their identification, it turns into like their total world can come crumbling down if they’re to take a unique 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 severely. I believe there are some however I believe much more work to be achieved and there’s numerous analysis to be achieved 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 should be form of empowered to form of tackle media literacy. And from what Tanner mentioned, it’s form of a tall order. What do you assume lecturers have to get that work began?
Kiera Beddes: My reply to that is at all times to begin small, as a result of I don’t wish to overwhelm lecturers, however I do wish to begin, proper? Discover a course and head in that course. 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 form of serving to reinforce these expertise. That we would like our college students to achieve.
Kiera Beddes: And I believe one thing so simple as a media second, proper? The place a instructor 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 could be very broadly primarily based. However then you have got your college students apply these expertise, you’re reinforcing these expertise. And as a instructor, you don’t need to 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 simple to get form of mired within the work that must be achieved. However I’m questioning, for all three of you, in case you can share an instance of somebody who’s doing this work effectively, 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: Properly, I’d say Braver Angels, proper? I imply, what a layup, okay, proper, however I actually 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 acquired very fearful 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 colleges, some center colleges. 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 at all times strikes me is absolutely 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 offers dignity to the people who they’re speaking about, which is an enchanting method of how we discuss different individuals, particularly individuals we disagree with.
Kiera Beddes: You possibly can have a look at articles, you’ll be able to have a look at speech, it’s also possible to 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 train has a complete bunch of mini programs for educators about this very matter. One is how one can train college students how to have a look at the shape and how one can analyze media and the way did have a look at bias and And how one can like share their views, which is nice. That’s form of the again finish, the speculation behind media literacy. However then in addition they provide very sensible, like, that is how one can do video initiatives in your class. That is how do picture initiatives in our class. Such as you study the speculation and then you definately apply it and I like it. So these are my two.
Nimah Gobir: We didn’t pay Kiera to say that.
Kiera Beddes: I actually like it a lot.
Tanner Higgin: I’ll level to the Middle for Digital Thriving out of Harvard, I believe, is performing some actually path-breaking work round digital well-being particularly, which I believe is an more and more essential a part of media literacy, is getting college students to replicate 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 Mission Zero Considering Routines framework, like actual easy pedagogical strikes anybody can apply to only about any studying situation. And so they’ve developed one in all these referred to as The Worth Type, the place you get college students to select from an enormous board of values which of them form of signify them, like which of them they maintain actually expensive. After which you should utilize that as a kind of essential lens to use to absolutely anything within the media world.
Tanner Higgin: So their instance is utilizing that worth type 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 believe that’s a method of. Of offering college students with a very fascinating lens to be sure 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 essential considering expertise with values and character-based training.
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.
