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Media Literacy for Diversity & Social Inclusion

Nicoleta Fotiade, MEDIAWISE SocietyBrussels, 19 November 2014

+Nicoleta Fotiade• Media Education Facilitator and (sometimes) Media Reseacher

• President of MEDIAWISE SOCIETY in Romania

• Education in Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies and Communication

•11 years experience in the field of media education and research

+Briefly tell us Who you are and What your expectations are

1. What do you teach?

2. How old your students are?

3. Any media education in your work so far? If yes, what sort?

4. Why did you join the workshop?

5. With what expectations?

+ What do you see?

What do you think?

What do you feel?

Watch the short film and jot down any thoughts, feelings, overall impressions!

School No.1 in Slatina. Students’ View by Andreea, Angi & Cristina

+ AIM of the session

To learn about and experience media education strategies – with focus on image deconstruction and mediated reality – to raise issues related to racism

and discrimination, social and cultural exclusion;

To use in the classroom or any other education context.

+Exercise. Critical Analysis of An Image (40’)

GOAL: understand how images are constructed; learn the elements of an image; understand the impact of images; understand the conventions and stereotypes that are commonly used; examine own perceptions of various stereotypes.

INSTRUCTIONS: (Work in groups, 15-20’) Using the handout provided have a first, second, third and a fourth look at the image and analyze it in small groups. Choose your rep to write down the answers and present in the plenary discussion.

Plenary briefing & discussion (20’). Lessons learnt?

+PHOTO 1

Photo credits: Dumitru Liviu Ștefan

+PHOTO 2

+The Image

Denotative elements:

Plan, framing, angle/shot, light, color (s), place of the spectator, horizontal and vertical ...

Connotative elements:

Symbolic and implicit reference to other events, conventions …

Meaning:

What does the caption bring to the image?

+Camera Shots/Angles

+Challenge Your Own Stereotypes

Part of our socializing process; part of our culture – transmitted from generation to generation; Main characteristics: uniformity, simplicity and tonality, which is mostly negative than positive, but never neutral.

Repetitive use: when participating in various types of communication we sometimes use stereotypes to evaluate and put an etiquette to groups of people, events etc.

W. Lippmann (1922) – we function on the basis of rigid images in our mind, “abusive generalizations”

+Prejudice

A negative attitude or a predisposition to adopt a negative behavior towards a group or members of a group (different from the one’s own, out-group), based on a wrong and rigid generalization.

Often classified according to the social category that is the object of categorization: e.g. sexism – the prejudice against women or men; anti-Semitism – prejudice against Jews; racism – prejudice against individuals of a different race

+Discrimination

If prejudice is situated at the level of cognitive judgments and emotional responses, when in the field of acting we refer to discrimination.

DISCRIMINATION = negative behavior towards the members of an out-group for which we have prejudice.

Active and passive discrimination.

+Social Exclusion

‘a process whereby certain individuals are pushed to the outskirts of society and not allowed to fully participate because of their poverty, lack of basic competencies and lifelong learning opportunities, or as a result of discrimination’.

Conditions: poverty and lack of education, ethnic discrimination;

The lack of access to the new/digital technology - much relevant in the information & knowledge society .

+Also part of the people’s experience of socio-cultural exclusion…

Limited or no access to information in all its forms,

Lack of intercultural dialogue and civic participation,

Discrimination and segregation in education,

Representation of identity in a media environment, like the case of the Roma kids in Slatina, a small town in Romania…

+Social and Cultural Inclusion with the Use of Media (Media Inclusion)

In national and European policy digital inclusion is an additional measure to fight social inequalities; however a narrowly defined concept.

The broader concept of ‘MEDIA INCLUSION’ refers to helping people at risk of poverty and social exclusion gain access to technology but also to knowledge and skills that will offer them the opportunity to use content and media in all forms for socio-cultural, economic and political benefits. 

+The Use of Documentary Film in the Classroom

Media literacy education for social inclusion should target both socially excluded people and the ones that can change attitude or act to help the social inclusion of their peers.

One such example of media literacy education is the MEDEAnet workshopThe Use of documentary film in the classroom (3min trailer)

Aim of the workshop - to help teachers learn how to use the documentary film in the classroom and to open debate with their students on the topic of discrimination and the Roma children’s school segregation, and also to challenge their own prejudice and stereotypes.

+10-15 minutes Coffee BREAK?

+What is Media Literacy?

Various definitions and approaches

A set of skills and competences that help people access, understand and use media in all forms for their own socio-cultural, economic and political benefits.

ML is achieved through media education.

+MEDIA LITERACY is about…

Learning how to use media wisely and effectively; Engaging in critical thinking when evaluating media

messages (being able to evaluate credibility of information);

Recognizing media influence on beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, and the democratic process;

Encouraging participatory citizenship and respect for diversity and human rights;

Achieving greater understanding and appreciating multiple perspectives;

Learning to produce communication and express oneself using different forms of media.

(adapted from Project Look Sharp, Ithaca College)

+Media Education is about …

Dialogue, negotiation of meanings, text coding/decoding, interaction, critical thinking methods (e.g. questioning of the information), observation, text analysis and interpretation;

Use of preferred/accessible media texts with which trainees are at ease (comprehension exercises);

Learning that mobilizes all competences (understanding, speaking, writing, reading, interaction)

Working with media content – part of our daily culture (cultural content).

+6 Key Concepts in Media Analysis:

1. All media messages are “constructed”.

2. Each medium has different characteristics, strengths, and a unique “language” of construction.

3. Media messages are produced for particular purposes.

4. All media messages contain embedded values and points of view (commercial, social and political implications).

5. Audience negotiate meanings. People use their individual skills, beliefs and experiences to construct their own meanings from media messages.

6. Media and media messages can influence beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors and the democratic process. How?

Source: Ithaca College

+

USEFUL RESOURCES

+The SHARP Workshop in Slatina (RO)

Media literacy and video production workshops with children and young people in socially disadvantaged areas; extracurricular activity. 16 participants. 4 days workshop with 1 day Follow-up evaluation, coaching.

Main Objectives:

Develop students’ media literacy and production skills using students’ own interests and cultural preferences.

Contribute to their understanding about their own territory and identity, their rights and possibilities to civic participation.

Help students express and share their own social and cultural experiences with the help of video making and the online medium.

+SHARP - STEPS in ACTION:

1. Needs Analysis with the beneficiaries of the local training (December 2010)

2. Development of Training Curriculum (January 2011)

3. Introduction meeting (February 2011)

4. Training Course (March-April 2011)

5. Video Production and Sharing on the Sharp online platform (May-December 2011)

6. Update of the Training Curriculum for the European pedagogical kit (2011)

Local Partners: ELMI Foundation, Secondary School No.1 Slatina

+STRUCTURE of the WORKSHOP

In the school premises and filming locations chosen with the participants.

I.Theoretic Module:

1. Introduction in Video Production

2. Critical analysis of still and moving images

3. Interviewing techniques

4. Basic notions of video story-board: framing, angles etc.

5. Basic notions of video-editing (video available)

6. Preparatory session for the practical module.

+METHODS Used:

Presentation, Discussion in small and large groups,

Working groups, Application, Interview,

Integration of participants’ cultural preferences.

+II. Practical Module: 2 days filming in groups; students applied the knowledge

and skills developed in the first two days of workshop; their own decisions and cultural preferences prevailed.

Filming schedule; 2 cameras; 1 microphone

Constant interaction among student(s) and the coach/visual expert;

While filming, rehearsal of new knowledge and abilities;

Film editing according to students’ directions (soundtrack etc.) – post-workshop.

Results: students’ short films (8) and a “Making Of” film.

FINAL Feedback and Evaluation session.

+Two-step Evaluation process:

1. Discussion with participants (video-recorded): Interviewing Guide: from simple questions to more complex ones:

How did you find the experience? // How would you describe your workshop experience to other people? // Would you change anything? What? // Do you find this experience and the knowledge you learnt useful? How? // What were your expectations about this workshop and what actually happened? Etc.

2. Contribution to the participants’ empowerment for social inclusion with the help of media education (discussion, questionnaire)

Digital and media competences in an image/media-dominated social environment // How it affected their personal and social relationships? // Awareness of their own identity in the local social context // sharing of digital information with the Others etc.

+More Useful Resources

http://mediasmarts.ca/lessonplan/scapegoating-and-othering-lesson

http://mediasmarts.ca/lessonplan/diversity-and-media-ownership-lesson

http://mediasmarts.ca/lessonplan/hate-20-lesson

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/05/teaching-respect-and-responsibility-even-to-digital-natives/

+Processing (10min)

How did you find this session?

What did you learn?

How will you put this into practice?