Angela+Carter

Overview/Purpose: For this research project I will work with the 4K teachers to integrate more media literacy based activities into their classroom. The main goal is to create lessons that can introduce medial literacy to children while the children are being introduced to early learning skills. The teachers expressed a need for incorporating media literacy in the classroom but they were uncertain of the best approach. Working together, we will develop an approach and I will analyze the results. The children are currently learning about genre in terms of print writing (Fiction vs. Non-Fiction). We will continue to focus on this area and also include instruction on understanding the role of the author to begin. After two observations, I have already noticed that the children appear to be expressive, inquisitive, and engaged for short periods of time. The instructors seem to be enthusiastic, committed to creating a rich learning environment, and skilled at classroom management. The instructors seem genuinely excited about media literacy although right now, much of the emphasis is on incorporating technology. One of my personal goals is to better comprehend the demands that are specific to teaching at this grade level. I will introduce the instructors to more ML literature and I hope to receive information from them on early childhood education. Methodology: Participant Observation and Interviews. Throughout the next six weeks I will observe the students 2 times per week. During that time, I will work with the teachers to supplement their lesson plans with media literacy activities. I will also keep the transcripts from my discussions with the teachers. Challenges: The literature that I have read has not indicated how media literacy should be structured for children in prekindergarten. Students within this very young age require instruction that addresses their social and emotional development. The notion of being critical can be interpreted as negative criticism for young minds that still think in terms of simple dichotomies like good/bad and right/wrong. Furthermore, the critical aspect of media literacy may not translate for students whose learning is based on the concepts like categorizing, drawing assumptions, and in a sense stereotyping to make sense of the world. A major component of media literacy is the push for students to deconstruct messages. Yet, children in pre-k are just beginning a formal introduction into the construction of language and communication. Expectations: I anticipate having to treat the introduction of this topic as a set of building blocks, really focusing on one key idea at a time. I don’t think a comprehensive introduction to media literacy can take place over the course of a few weeks. I do think that this work (if all goes well) will help the instructors to become more empowered to push for media literacy next year. Questions: What type of instructional approaches are effective for teaching media literacy to students in pre-k? How does this compare to the literature on media literacy for older students? Week 1: Observation Week 2: Planning w/ Instructors, Activity 1 Week 3:Lesson Plans Revised w/ ML focus – Choose Activity Week 4: Lesson Plans Revised w/ ML focus – Choose Activity Week 5: Lesson Plans Revised w/ ML focus – Choose Activity Week 6 Reflection, Write -Up