New resources to support media literacy teaching
The resources are designed to support teachers to make sure all students are engaged in developing media literacy knowledge and skills.
Ensuring Australian students develop a greater understanding of the modern media landscape in a digitally connected world is at the heart of a new teaching resource released by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
ACARA has developed the Curriculum connection: Media consumers and creators to support teachers to make sure all students are engaged in developing media literacy knowledge and skills across Foundation to Year 10, specifically in Media Arts, English and Digital Technologies.
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The new online resource, developed in partnership with key media literacy experts, highlights the content in the Australian Curriculum where students are supported and expected to learn to be analytical, creative and media literate. The Curriculum connection explores how new media, including social media and digital tools, are changing the way young people communicate and are being communicated to, and how this impacts their lives and communities.
“Whether it’s a news story, a television show, an online video or a social media post, our young people need to learn how to sort fact from fiction and work out whether something is credible or not,” said ACARA CEO, Stephen Gniel.
“We need to ensure students can develop the critical and analytical thinking needed to contend with an ever-evolving digital media landscape. As the recent Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters report into civics education and political participation highlighted, this is crucially important if we want our young people to be active and informed citizens.
“This new Curriculum connection resource will also help encourage our young people to express their creativity as storytellers and creators of media,” Mr Gniel said.
This resource has been developed in consultation with academic, industry and teaching specialists in the field including the Australian Media Literacy Alliance (AMLA), ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) and Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM). The online resource allows educators to filter information and develop educational programs around key issues. It is designed to encourage students to be critical and mindful thinkers when consuming media so they can recognise misinformation and disinformation, but also to be creative and imaginative producers, effective communicators, and informed and responsible consumers and creators of media.
The new Curriculum connection is focused on four key aspects that all students should develop skills in:
- understand and analyse contemporary media
- create media content
- communicate and share media content
- be critical and ethical.
ACARA has used the Media Literacy Framework from the Australian Media Literacy Alliance (AMLA) to develop the resource. AMLA defines media literacy as the ability to critically engage with media in all aspects of life.
Associate Professor Tanya Notley from the Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University and a co-founder of AMLA was one of the key media literacy experts involved in developing this resource. “Media literacy is essential for participation in our society. By increasing media literacy, schools can support students to find, verify, analyse, share and create media across their lifetime. In addition, media literacy can support students to connect with others, engage with democracy and participate in communities,” said Associate Professor Notley.
“We know from our research that most Australian school students need more ongoing media literacy support in school to help them access and create trustworthy media. So, I’m thrilled to see this new resource and support from ACARA to help address this. ACARA’s Curriculum connection: Media consumers and creators will guide and help teachers to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to increase their media literacy throughout their school years.”
The Curriculum connection: Media consumers and creators, along with the other updated resources, is available on the resources section of the Australian Curriculum website HERE.
