Developing Globally Minded, Critical Media Literacy Skills

• Main Author: Jason Harshman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Journal of Social Studies Education Research 2017-05-01
• Series: Journal of Social Studies Education Research
• Subjects: critical literacy; global education; films; mediascapes
• Online Access: http://jsser.org/article/view/5000171205/5000181638
• ISSN: 1309-9108; 1309-9108

The transnational movement of people and ideas continues to reshape how we imagine places and cultures. Considering the volume of information and entertainment delivered and consumed via mass media, global educators are tasked with engaging students in learning activities that help them develop skill sets that include a globally minded, critical media literacy. Grounded in cultural studies and framed by Andreotti’s (2006) theory of critical GCE and Appadurai’s (1996) concept of mediascapes, this article examines how eleven global educators in as many countries used films to teach about what they considered to be the “6 C’s” of critical global media literacy: colonialism, capitalism, conflict, citizenship, and conscientious consumerism. How global educators foster globally minded, critical media literacy in their classrooms, the resources they use to teach about perspectives too often marginalized in media produced in the Global North, and how educating students about media informs action within global citizenship education is discussed. Findings from the study revealed that the opportunities to interact with fellow educators around the world inspired teacher’s to revisit concepts such as interconnectedness and crosscultural learning, along with shifts in thinking about how to teach media literacy by analyzing the coded messages present in the resources they use to teach about the world.