Problem Posing Media Literacy: Engaging Students Through Teaching Practice

Biographical Sketch

J.D. Swerzenski is a 2nd Year PhD Student in Communication at UMass-Amherst. His work focuses primarily on critical media production, specifically how to blend critical theory and media production practices. This praxis-based approach extends to his research, which he attempts to undertake and present using multimodal forms.

Type of Presentation

Individual presentation

Brief Description of Presentation

I will be highlighting some background on the conception and goals of the study, then focusing primarily on a presentation of materials collected up until the point of the conference. Given the in-progress nature of the study, I'm looking forward to detailing early successes and frustrations of the research and courting feedback from those on the panel as to best means of moving forward.

Abstract of Proposal

For all the possible benefits of applying critical pedagogy to media literacy education, the challenge often comes in effectively implementing these principles into teaching practice Kellner & Share, 2007). This study (currently underway) looks to enact Freire’s (1970) problem-posing approach by having students engage media literacy concepts through the role of teacher. Undergraduates enrolled in an upper-division media literacy course will develop a media literacy curriculum for a group of 7th grade students and deliver those lessons through a series of workshops. In my role as participant observer, I will rely on field notes, informal interviews, and class materials created by students to analyze their approaches to various problems posed by the teaching task, including:

  1. What aspects of media literacy do they prioritize when constructing lessons?

  2. How do they perceive the level of media literacy for 7th graders?

  3. To what degree does teaching the material affect their understanding of and relationship with media literacy?

In following students throughout the semester-long course, I hope to track the various advantages and disadvantages of this student-as-teacher approach. Hopefully findings from this study will provide media literacy educators with tools to implement problem posing and other critical pedagogy concepts into teaching practice.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum, 2007.

Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2007). Critical media literacy, democracy, and the reconstruction of education. Media literacy: A reader, 3-23.

Location

Session 4A (Grand Salon, Double Tree)

Start Date

2-23-2019 8:30 AM

End Date

2-23-2019 10:00 AM

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Feb 23rd, 8:30 AM Feb 23rd, 10:00 AM

Problem Posing Media Literacy: Engaging Students Through Teaching Practice

Session 4A (Grand Salon, Double Tree)

For all the possible benefits of applying critical pedagogy to media literacy education, the challenge often comes in effectively implementing these principles into teaching practice Kellner & Share, 2007). This study (currently underway) looks to enact Freire’s (1970) problem-posing approach by having students engage media literacy concepts through the role of teacher. Undergraduates enrolled in an upper-division media literacy course will develop a media literacy curriculum for a group of 7th grade students and deliver those lessons through a series of workshops. In my role as participant observer, I will rely on field notes, informal interviews, and class materials created by students to analyze their approaches to various problems posed by the teaching task, including:

  1. What aspects of media literacy do they prioritize when constructing lessons?

  2. How do they perceive the level of media literacy for 7th graders?

  3. To what degree does teaching the material affect their understanding of and relationship with media literacy?

In following students throughout the semester-long course, I hope to track the various advantages and disadvantages of this student-as-teacher approach. Hopefully findings from this study will provide media literacy educators with tools to implement problem posing and other critical pedagogy concepts into teaching practice.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum, 2007.

Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2007). Critical media literacy, democracy, and the reconstruction of education. Media literacy: A reader, 3-23.