Quote:
“At its most basic, the students’
inquiry begins with and spirals out of the act of questioning, as all inquiry
does. But for questions to eventually
lead to answers – and perhaps to new questions – inquirers must learn where and
how to gather information. Then they
need to learn how to assess the reliability of the information they obtain, and
finally how to interpret and integrate the new data into their existing frameworks
of knowledge and experience.” (Goodman, pg 48, par 2)
Media literacy skills are essential
life skills as we move forward in the 21st Century. Students, of all ages, need to learn to not
only question, but also to seek answers to those questions. It is not enough to accept that something is
what it is, simply because that is what it is.
(Wow, that was a mouthful.) Many
youth of a question authority, but not enough of them seek an answer to their
question.
As I read this weeks’ reading I was
impressed with the level of ownership that the students took for their
project. They strongly felt that it wasn’t
enough to question why there were guns, they wanted to find a way to reduce
guns in the community and they realized that they needed to discuss the issue
within the community.
The process of inquiry for these
students was challenging both mentally and physically. The process required them to hit the streets
and talk about a subject that is touchy.
The fear of reprisal must have been present, especially as they talked
with their peers on a subject that is violent and has the potential to be
sanctioned legally.
Resource:
Comments:
The connection between The Chronicle
article and the reading is simple, students are not developing the skills to
question, research, analyze, and develop hypothesis. If these skills are not being developed
sufficiently in students who pursue higher education, it is safe to presume
that basic media literacy skills are not being learned sufficiently for young people
to become productive adults. In keeping
with the spirit of the quote this additional resource provides some potential
answers.
Citations:
Chapman,
Paige. (2010). Students lack basic research
skills, study finds. The Chronicle. <http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/students-lack-basic-research-skills-study-finds/28112>
6 November 2012.
Goodman,
S. (2003). Teaching youth media. New York: Teachers College Press.
Hobbs,
R. (2010). Digital and media literacy. a white paper on the digital and
media literacy recommendations of the knight commission on the information
needs of commu. Washington, DC: Aspen Institute. Retrieved from
http://www.knightcomm.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Digital_and_Media_Literacy_A_Plan_of_Action.pdf
I agree that the engagement on the part of the young people was impressive but as educators we need to know how to bridge these experiences with the literacy practices we want to learn in school!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Plan of Action for Media Literacy! I read this before but forgot about it. It will be helpful for the grant I writing next week to conduct a media literacy workshop for middle school teachers!