Whereas media literacy can appear politically charged, its core targets are extensively shared. Phrases like “faux information” or “misinformation” could elevate alarms, however “everybody desires children to be educated, considerate, essential thinkers,” stated Higgin. He cited information from Media Literacy Now that stated 84% of surveyed adults consider media literacy must be a required a part of faculty, whereas a research from the Information Literacy Undertaking discovered that 94% of teenagers agree.
Regardless of widespread assist, many educators really feel not sure the way to method 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 matters can result in media literacy being sidelined. The Middle for Digital Thriving provides a potential 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,” stated Saltwick. “However with a number of easy strategies, you’ll be able to actually get a very good dialogue going to ensure all these views are heard.”
Saltwick really useful utilizing a transparent construction for these conversations. He teaches the LAPP approach — Pay attention, Acknowledge, Pivot, Perspective — as a approach to mannequin respectful disagreement and construct belief. “The tenor of the dialog adjustments dramatically,” he stated. “So it’s not a battle of wills: ‘I’m proper, you’re incorrect.’ It’s ‘let’s perceive.’”
Beddes agreed that construction may also help college students navigate tough 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 techniques, conspiracy theories, can fuse to individuals’s identities now. And that’s one thing that any variety of expertise can’t unwind,” stated Higgin. “That’s why I feel 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 interact 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 seem like, “it may be very difficult to get one thing that feels genuine,” stated Higgin. “We have to more and more work out the way 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 the media in genuine environments as potential.” 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 fact and should reinforce college students’ current beliefs.
To push again towards these filters, Saltwick leads an exercise referred to as Stroll a Mile in My Information, by which college students change the media they eat, equivalent to a favourite information outlet or influencer, and replicate on the variations in perspective. Exploring information sources outdoors of their ordinary echo chambers helps college students understand what views is likely to be lacking from their very own sources.
Beddes supplied an analogous exercise to encourage essential pondering and spotlight bias. She shares information articles from retailers 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 stated.
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 current viral publish pertains to what they’re studying in historical past or science. In line with Beddes, assets like The SIFT e-newsletter from the Information Literacy Undertaking can assist this sort 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 could actually really feel like one other field to verify, however Beddes says it doesn’t must be that manner. “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 bought to speak to 3 superb people who find themselves actually eager about this work.
Tanner Higgin: Hey everyone, I’m Tanner Higgin. I’m a senior academic know-how researcher at WestEd which is a big and previous schooling 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 schooling 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 a variety of perception and coronary heart to that dialog. And right now we’re sharing an excerpt of that panel. Stick with us.
Nimah Gobir: I needed to begin with a query that you simply all may reply a few second that made you understand how necessary media literacy is right now.
Steve Saltwick: Proper after the mass capturing on the Marjory Stoner Douglas, the place a number of of the scholars turned 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 search out out from a number of of my buddies who posted saying that’s a faux video and it simply completely shocked me. So I withdrew, you realize, I apologized it withdrew the publish , 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 sort 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 realize, while you’re there for a few hours getting your nails accomplished. 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 might be like this text says that’s not true or or this stuff additionally say sort of the other and so it was this actually sort 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 this stuff and having these conversations in her residence, what does that seem like in my classroom? What are my children seeing and what’s impacting them? And I noticed the talents of lateral studying, of truth checking, however even going past that to say why is it really easy to sort of fall for this stuff? 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 unique angle, which is, my educational background is extra within the media research world. And one factor I really like about media literacy is that when accomplished effectively, it form of unlocks a complete new layer of that means on the planet. The world comes alive when you begin to perceive audiovisual media and the way to interpret it and unpack it. And the completely different techniques for understanding that by trying on the medium itself, proper, as a part of the structure of the that means of one thing. I had some nice intro to movie professors who form of gave me this new media research and media literacy lens, tapped into the, you realize, the entire notion of movie language, and it felt like I’d been let into this form of secret information that exists and might actually make that 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 really dropped at my consideration after we had been first discussing this session that media literacy has reworked all through time as a result of our world can be altering. Just like the know-how that we’ve, even up to now like two years, has grown by leaps and bounds. So are you able to sort of body for us the best way that media literacy has developed over time? Perhaps even what historic traits have formed the best way that we train it right now.
Tanner Higgin: What I really like about media literacy is that it sort of displays tradition at the moment, however then shapes it as effectively. Media literacy schooling, curiously, is a complete different factor. And it actually grows out of coverage. And coverage, as I feel everybody is aware of, particularly in schooling, typically, must get pushed. And it typically will get pushed from a standpoint of concern, I’d argue, particularly media literacy.
Tanner Higgin: , these new applied sciences pop up and with it you see a brand new spark and curiosity in media literacy but it surely’s typically from a sense of “We have to do one thing for the kids as a result of this new know-how is frightening and is reworking every thing we see.” , tv to web, internet publishing, eroding the entire concept of authority.
Tanner Higgin: Whereas conventional literacy, ELA sort of instruction is all about like constructing bridges, opening up worlds for youths to love see and browse the world.
Tanner Higgin: Media literacy schooling when it will get operationalized by coverage is like organising fences. Like let’s shield and filter info and let’s be sure children have that functionality—Very, crucial, but it surely cuts off the entire superb extraordinary points of media literacy.
Tanner Higgin: In order that’s kinda been my ardour. And the best way I form of suppose 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 Schooling world. And the way possibly we will be much less reactive and extra proactive in media literacy schooling.
Nimah Gobir: I need to convey it to Kiera, who I’m so pleased to have on this panel, as a result of I really feel like after we rise up in theories and concepts, you being in school actually brings us again all the way down to the rubber meets the highway, ‘what does this seem like in lecture rooms?’ So are you able to possibly speak about among 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 after we see media literacy as some form of different, then it will get left by the wayside as a result of they’re gonna deal with 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 train your content material. Media literacy, when it’s accomplished effectively, you’re not simply trying on the movie or the message or the content material of no matter you’re taking a look at, 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 impression the way you, the viewer, you, the patron, interacts with that media.
Nimah Gobir: Thanks, and I’m curious, Steve, if in case 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 feel 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 have now one program referred to as Stroll a Mile in My Information. So you’re taking two individuals who have very completely different viewpoints, they usually really change the sorts of media they eat. After which they speak about that. And so they understand, 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 incorrect, it’s simply to understand the truth that others have views which might be fairly completely different from you, and if in case you have floor guidelines that set the stage for a respectful dialog about that, you’ll be able to actually get to an additional 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 really been profitable in having college students understand that what I see isn’t what everyone sees?
Kiera Beddes: I’ve heard lecturers the place they may 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’ll be able to sort 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 sort of calls to thoughts the last 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 selections 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 may be extra to this and the way can I’m going out and discover that lacking perspective and convey it in.
Nimah Gobir: And I need to convey you into this too, Tanner. Are there tech instruments or ed tech instruments that may sort 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 a much bigger narrative on the market past what I see alone feeds.
Tanner Higgin: Since I’d say 2016, there’s been a rising sector inside ed tech particularly centered on numerous approaches to what one would possibly name faux information. I’m of two minds about these instruments as a result of I feel one of many difficult issues with media literacy specifically is that if the medium is the message. Then you must interact with the medium to grasp it. Instruments that recreate media and try to like, particularly for youthful children, approximate what a newsfeed would seem like. I feel it may be very difficult to get one thing that feels genuine to them.
Tanner Higgin: My advice is when potential 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 an alternative of trying on the precise movie.
Tanner Higgin: I feel we have to more and more work out the way to handle privateness and security and maturity degree of youngsters, however get them as a lot publicity to the precise media and pondering by the media in genuine environments as potential, as a result of that’s what’s really gonna serve them effectively when they’re. , possibly sneaking some utilization of issues that we in any other case may not approve of.
Nimah Gobir: If you had been talking, my mind snagged on, you talked about faux information and I feel even the phrases misinformation and disinformation will be sort of like politically coded and might really feel just a little bit divisive. Media literacy, I feel we talked about this too, is usually a non-partisan concern. What are some shared considerations that oldsters and educators throughout ideological traces can really come collectively on?
Tanner Higgin: Yeah, I feel significantly at this second in time, it could actually really feel like in schooling, there’s no widespread floor. However media literacy is one in all, it has common assist. I feel it’s someplace round, media literacy now did a survey, like 84% of adults suppose it must be required in lecture rooms. And while you ask teenagers, 94% suppose 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 schooling, proper? Media literacy is on the core of what we wish schooling to do, which is to empower individuals to be self-determined, to suppose for themselves, and to discover and interact with the world thoughtfully. There isn’t any debate round whether or not that’s necessary 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 feel 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 faculties and college, and actually adults as effectively, is that with a number of easy strategies, you’ll be able to actually get a very good dialog going to ensure 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 approach referred to 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. , 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 realize, 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 traces of, you realize 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, certain, effectively then you definitely now have permission to share a differing perspective. And that’s dealt with in a different way than if the primary reply you’ve 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 approach to make use of in these discussions.
Nimah Gobir: It seems like that course of slows down the dialog in a manner the place it’s not as reactive. And that looks as if a extremely necessary part of a dialog not sort 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 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 incorrect.” 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’m wondering, 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 id, social id, issues which might be seen as values or like near personhood, these can get actually, actually emotional very quick they usually’re sort of unwieldy. It may be exhausting, I’d suppose as an educator, to facilitate these conversations, and I do know it’s actually exhausting to be in these conversations. Do you’ve any methods for, it seems like LAPP may work for one thing like that. Are there another belongings you’ve discovered that work?
Kiera Beddes: One in all my favorites, and it sounds so easy, however having sentence stems obtainable for college kids… I’ve seen elementary faculty lecturers by center and highschool, while you’re going to have a dialog, and if it’s going to be a few heated matter, you’ve sort 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 listing of them. However I feel it helps give college students a framework for having a dialog, proper? And I beloved what you stated about slowing the dialog down as a result of a variety of 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 fashion? Why am I feeling this fashion?”
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. , right here’s what we’re doing, right here is how we’re going to do it, you realize, 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 area 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 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 variety of eager about is like, I image this as a comparatively fashionable phenomenon, I feel spurred by social media and the way as a medium, situations tradition in a manner, the place false beliefs, false perception techniques, 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 the entire media literacy expertise on the planet and Dana Boyd had an amazing discuss on this, titled, “Did Media Literacy Backfire?” as a result of she was observing how in a few of these communities, essential pondering expertise get utilized. They only go the incorrect manner. However I consider, I hypothesize, that to untether false perception from id takes humility. And that’s in very quick provide on the planet of social media. We’re nearly conditioned towards it. And folks with false beliefs which might be tethered to their id, it turns into like their whole world can come crumbling down if they’re to take a unique view.
Tanner Higgin: And that’s why I feel 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 basically take that significantly. I feel there are some however I feel much more work to be accomplished and there’s a variety of analysis to be accomplished 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 sort of empowered to sort of tackle media literacy. And from what Tanner stated, it’s sort of a tall order. What do you suppose lecturers must 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 venture, so it’s a e-newsletter 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 sort of serving to reinforce these expertise. That we wish our college students to realize.
Kiera Beddes: And I feel one thing so simple as a media second, proper? The place a instructor might be a classroom starter, it might be an exit ticket, it may 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’ve your college students observe these expertise, you’re reinforcing these expertise. And as a instructor, you don’t must 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 that means behind how it’s created.
Nimah Gobir: MindShift is all about options. I feel it’s straightforward to get sort of mired within the work that must be accomplished. However I’m questioning, for all three of you, should 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 bunch of Trump voters and a bunch Hillary voters bought 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 faculties, some center faculties. And we do workshops, and I’ve moderated lots 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 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 provides dignity to the folks that they’re speaking about, which is an interesting manner of taking a look at how we speak about 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, you can even 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 the way to train college students how to take a look at the shape and the way to analyze media and the way did have a look at bias and And the way to like share their views, which is nice. That’s sort of the again finish, the speculation behind media literacy. However then in addition they provide very sensible, like, that is the way to do video tasks in your class. That is how do photograph tasks in our class. Such as you be taught the speculation and then you definitely 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 feel, is performing some actually path-breaking work round digital well-being particularly, which I feel is an more and more necessary a part of media literacy, is getting college students to replicate on the presence of smartphones of their lives and to suppose 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 Undertaking Zero Pondering 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 Kind, the place you get college students to select from an enormous board of values which of them sort of signify them, like which of them they maintain actually expensive. After which you should use that as a form of essential 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, 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 feel that’s a manner of. Of offering college students with a extremely 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 feel that’s like, to me that’s an image of the way forward for media literacy is that this merging of conventional essential 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.
