What is Media Education?

After recently joining the Media Education Association online group What is Media Education? I though I would write about my current thoughts and concerns about What Media Education is and perhaps what it should be. 


We are all aware of the representation that Media, as discreet subject, has in The Media. It is often regarded as a second rate subject, an easy option and even a meaningless, pointless subject. Of course, we know the impact that The Media has on public perception, so it is no wonder that it is seen the way it is. In my own school, students are routinely guided against taking Media at A-Level by careers advisors (form tutors masquerading as advisors) because "you won't get accepted into university if you take it". Despite this everyone of my A-Level students from last year obtained good university places including several who went onto study Law at two different Russell Group Universities (no self celebration here, just a case study of what students can go on to do, even though they chose the pointless option).

When considering Media Education; it's importance, it's purpose or it's content, I think we have to first consider education as a whole. Our education system has changed very little since the time of enlightenment, where the industrial revolution meant that Engineering, Maths and Sciences were most important due to the career opportunities available. Our society has changed radically, yet our methods of formal education have changed little. In fact our current Government seem more determined than ever to de-evolve or regress education. Apologies for the politics, but new initiatives, white papers and priorities for education seem to be going against the changes in society. 

Like many other advocates of Media in education, I believe that Media should play a much larger part in students lives than it currently does and not just because of the increased employment opportunities of the Creative Industries. 


Media is embedded firmly in every child's lives. Whether it be TV, film, music, advertising, animation or social media, the level of engagement the children have in media today is staggering. We can allow them to wander aimlessly through these vast hyper-mediated landscapes or we can embrace media, including social media to guide are students through the dangers and pitfalls. The importance of the recollection of information has gone, but now the importance should be on deciphering the validity of information, inferring meaning from media sources and making informed judgements about the things that are all around our children.

I agree with David Aaronovitch when he said it "should be there in the English Baccalaureate alongside history and modern languages". It's importance cannot be underestimated, however drastic changes to the curriculum are necessary to bring it to the point where it is not only relevant to the lives of children, but also viewed as a worthwhile subject by the press, educators and the general public. Maybe a change of name is needed.

The new specification for the OCR A-level goes a long way towards bringing about the necessary curriculum changes. There are a number of notable features of the spec which make it real and relevant:

• Online submission
• Emphasis on creativity
• AS exam based on current and new media texts
• A2 exam based on current issues in Media
• Emphasis on reflective practice

I know that other specification are quite possibly as good, but I have not had the pleasure of teaching something as refreshing as the new OCR spec. I would like to hear of other options however, particularly with the inevitable cancelling of the BTEC in Creative Media Practice. (more on this here.)

Media should not only be an integral part of whole school curriculum, but also be embedded into all subject areas as Teaching and Learning tools. As Matt Levinson (http://teachers.net/gazette/MAY09/levinson/) wrote “Schools can draw a line in the sand, with zero tolerance rules written into school handbooks, or they can shift with the changing sands of social networking and utilize social networking and Facebook to enhance teaching and learning.”

I remember being at school when TV and videos were controversial teaching methods and those early adopters were frowed upon. Eduation is noturiously slow to catch up to the changes in technology and more importantly the changes in society, but I strongly believe that if we do not adatp, we could be on the verge of creating a generation without the necessary digital literacy skills to participate effectively.