Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group Newsletter 6 2016 | Page 13

Visibility of eTwinning Projects Group July 2016 Newsletter

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Media Literacy – An Inquiry-Based Approach
by Ana-Maria Ghioc
The literacy l andscapes have profoundly changed
due to the ubiquity of the mediated messages that
students encounter on a daily basis. This mediasaturated environment requires an adaptation of
the definition of the term “literacy” in order to also
encompass the understanding of media texts.
Traditional literacy involves the competences of
reading and analyzing, as well as writing text
messages. However, the predominantly visual
culture that we live in demands a shift from only
print-based messages to the critical analysis and
production of images and videos so that students
are fully equipped with the skills that we’ll enable
them to function as critical thinkers and informed
citizens of the 21st century.

Media literacy is a broad umbrella concept and
although there are multiple interpretations and
definitions the ones below shed light into the
understanding the term. According to the Centre for
Media Literacy, “media Literacy is a 21st century
approach to education. It provides a framework to
access, analyze, evaluate, create and participate
with messages in a variety of forms — from print to
video to the Internet. Media literacy builds an
understanding of the role of media in society as well
as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression
necessary for citizens of a democracy.”
As the European Association for Viewers Interests
puts it, “the aim of media literacy is to increase
awareness of the many forms of media messages
encountered in our everyday lives. It should help
citizens recognise how the media filter their
perceptions and beliefs, shape popular culture and
influence personal choices. It should empower them
with critical thinking and creative problem-solving
skills to make them judicious consumers and
producers of information.”

Considering the definitions above, media literacy is
not a new subject to be taught in school, but an
approach, a way of thinking, a tool that aims at
instilling in students the habit of evaluating the
media messages they access and that permeate
every corner of their lives. Studying media
critically is necessary since the media not supply us
with information, but also shapes our beliefs, our
outlook on the world, influences our choices. The
multilayered messages of the media must be
carefully deconstructed or unveiled so that students
make informed decisions. The goal of media literacy
educators is to provide students with a set of skills
that transfer into real life, outside the confining
walls of the classroom, and guide them into
navigating a constantly changing world and media
environment.
Hobbs (2010) identified the types of skills that
underpin media literacy:
1. Finding and using media and technology tools
skillfully and sharing appropriate and relevant
information with others.
2. Comprehending messages and using critical
thinking to analyze message quality, veracity,
credibility, and point of view, while considering
potential effects or consequences of messages.
3. Composing or generating content using creativity
and confidence in self-expression, with awareness
of purpose, audience, and composition techniques.
4. Applying social responsibility and ethical
principles to one’s own identity and lived
experience, communication behavior and conduct.
5. Working individually and collaboratively to share
knowledge and solve problems in the family, the
workplace and the community, and participating as
a member of a community at local, regional,
national and international levels.

Students need to master critical analysis skills, but
at the same time they have to exert creative
abilities. By getting involved in media production,
they gain a deeper insight into the workings of the
mechanisms that lie behind any mediated message.

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