Media Education in the Social Studies

Why is media education an important aspect of learning about social studies subjects like history, civics and government? Media are a prevalent and pervasive aspect of cultural and political life that students contend with on a daily basis. Indeed, many young people's knowledge of historical and contemporary events is based largely on media representations. Media, past and present, are some of the most influential texts of our times. The media are key sites for information creation and dissemination. They provide fiction and nonfiction narratives about people, places, and events, and help shape opinions and attitudes about history, government and politics. Newspapers, news magazines and news broadcasts tell us about national and world events and, in doing so, record a version of history. Media are also the principle storytellers in popular culture. Media, such as film and television, offer popular narratives about who we are, what we believe, and what we want to be. In addition, the media are primary sites where students learn about their own and other cultures. And as citizens, students rely on media for information about elections, public policy and political processes. As such, it is critical that students understand how media frame issues, be able to separate fact from opinion, and possess the skill to assess the credibility of media sources.

Media education aims to impart to both teachers and students the critical, analytical, and creative skills that enable them to think independently and to become informed and active citizens, as well as savvy media consumers and producers. Media education shows teachers and students how to access, analyze, evaluate and construct media messages. Media education encourages people to examine the media products they consume, rather than to simply believe what they see, hear or read in the media. This task is especially important for teachers of history, civics and government since media do not simply reflect reality, but shape and codify it in ways that are medium specific and historically situated. Teachers can employ media education to hone students' abilities to evaluate media as evidentiary sources and to identify bias in mediated constructions of history and society. They can draw on media to help students better understand their own and other cultures and to provide rich primary and secondary sources for the study of history, government, and world cultures. Media education can increase students' understanding and appreciation of the role media play in shaping and disseminating particular views of history and contemporary social life. It can help build analytical and reasoning skills. It can also serve as an excellent resource for examining issues of citizenship and the political process in U.S. culture.

Like literature and other art forms, media texts are a major force in shaping people's sense of self and the world around them. Yet, while media texts invariably influence how we think about and experience the world, these texts are seldom the object of serious study in the classroom. Just as novels were once thought to be a vulgar form of entertainment unworthy of serious attention, media is often trivialized as a popular art. Consequently, these popular texts with untold influence continue to escape classroom study, and teachers miss prime opportunities to heighten student awareness of their power and effect. The situation is beginning to change, however. In the last decade, many states have begun to add media-related curricular goals to their state educational standards. State and federal initiatives are also introducing the idea of media and technology competency into the classroom. Nevertheless, media education has not been adequately studied or taught in U.S. secondary schools. The vast majority of teachers and students are not trained in the full range of skills needed to deconstruct, evaluate and appreciate the media. Additionally, few nationally available curricular materials or teacher training programs exist, and these are aimed almost exclusively at teachers in the language arts or health sciences.

Media education can increase students' critical engagement with media both inside and outside the classroom. Media texts employ a visual and narrative "language" many students enjoy. Teachers can use these texts to capture and focus student attention and to make connections between the at-times-abstract material in textbooks and students' own lives, experiences, and values. Teachers can use student interest in media to further engage students in core curricular content. For example, teachers can use films and documentaries to convey lessons in history and its representation, and television election coverage and political commercials as pathways to lessons in U.S. government. Integrating the study of media texts into history, civics and government classes can empower students creatively, academically, and as citizens.

The Teaching Educators about Media (TEAM) Project, housed in UT's Radio-TV-Film Department, designed these lesson plans. Project Director: Laura Stein, Ph.D.