IJC Training Session: “Media Education Is the Subject That Helps You Stay Closer to Your Pupils”
What is media education and how can Media Education content be used at the primary level for developing young media consumers’ critical thinking? This topic was discussed during the new training program organized by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) on July 5-7, 2024, where 19 primary school teachers improved their media education skills to share their knowledge with their pupils.
The session was based on the curriculum for Media Education as an optional course for primary school and the updated version of the Media Education manual published in 2023. The manual was revised to conform to the new trends and changes in this sphere and to make it more attractive to young media consumers.
Loretta Handrabura and Natalia Griu, the authors of the curriculum and the Media Education manual for 3rd and 4th grade pupils, were trainers who conducted the course.
Mariana Tabuncic, IJC program manager, mentioned that, in present-day society, it is quite important to have critical thinking, to comprehend the risks we face in the virtual space, and to realize why it is important to protect our online identity and how we could learn to create media content which complies with deontological provisions. “All these aspects are integral elements of the media education contents included in the Media Education manuals developed by the IJC, and one should know how to consume it responsibly and reasonably,” Mariana Tabuncic said.
During the training session, the participants improved their knowledge in media education. They discussed the educational role of movies and the way of analyzing them to comprehend the message conveyed correctly; they created newspapers as a team, learning to select the relevant information properly; they discussed photography and the part it plays in conveying messages; they knew the ways of avoiding risks in the online environment, the rules of netiquette, and why ethical behavior online is important. They also tested some new teaching methods and techniques that could help them make their lessons more interesting and interactive.
Natalia Griu emphasized the fact that the training session was intended for teachers in order to revolutionize their didactic concepts. “Media education is about the way we work with texts and all types of information, and our mission is to help you develop an authentic teaching process. Age, not concepts, should remain the great difference between us and children. Media education is the subject that helps you stay close to your pupils, to be their cool media education teacher, the teacher who juggles information, who is aware of what is happening around right now, who keeps improving their knowledge, who uses new platforms and is not afraid to discuss cartoons and movies, who is aware of virtual games, knows what artificial intelligence is, and achieves didactic goals using all types of media,” Natalia Griu summed up.
Loretta Handrabura discussed online safety issues and warned the teachers to be careful about the information children consume in virtual space. “Media education is not only about the opportunities the online environment provides, but also about the risks which should be avoided to save people’s destinies. Please pay attention to pupils’ emotions, to the way they interact with each other, to the way they think, to the values they share, to who their idols in the virtual space are, and to the persons they try to imitate. If you are more attentive to these aspects, you may find out that the patterns of behavior they follow are not always the most appropriate ones. You have a chance to intervene and to change the order of things,” Loretta Handrabura said.
At the end of the training session, the teachers were also informed about the other opportunities offered by the IJC in the sphere of media education, including contests and other activities for improving the level of pupils’ critical thinking; they also were encouraged to apply them and to use the content received.
The teachers left the session enthusiastic and convinced that media education is extremely necessary to bring up society capable of critical thinking.
Mariana Barbieru, teacher, Gymnasium No 51, Vatra Town, Chisinau Municipality:
I’ve been lucky to have an opportunity to attend this training session. Certainly, I have become more knowledgeable due to the new informational contribution I have acquired in the sphere of media education and not only. The training session brought extensive intellectual information related to several fields, especially, to general culture. I’ve been convinced that all the ideas, tips, recommendations, and instructions are quite accessible and easy to implement in the classroom with my pupils. By the end of the session, my notebook was already filled with notes on what should be done as soon as possible. I’ve realized that media education is a necessity in the present-day education. I will definitely choose this optional subject to help my pupils develop their skills and attitudes currently required in the world.”
Oxana Bojii, teacher, Gymnasium No 102, Braila Village, Chisinau Municipality:
The session has been quite an adventure; it was conducted by such enthusiastic coaches as Loretta Handrabura and Natalia Griu who skillfully guided us through the media sphere, helping us discover it and develop reasonably and correctly by focusing on our pupils to train young media consumers’ critical thinking and to teach them how to consume high-quality media. The activities were organized in a relaxed and open-hearted manner and contributed to connecting with the audience, which made these three days very productive, starting from the language and practical techniques to successful assessment/self-assessment methods. We are genuinely grateful to the entire team in charge of organizing this training session every teacher needs.”
Alexandra Tuluc, teacher, Alexandru cel Bun Theoretical Lyceum, Rezina Town:
The impact this training session has had on me is priceless. I’m firmly convinced that media education is focused on pupils, at the same time transforming the teaching staff into modern lecturers. Media education motivates us to stay active and involved, developing our personality by means of new cognitive experiences this subject offers. I promise I’ll keep sharing the knowledge I’ve gained, and I’ll be dedicated and passionate about this subject.”
Marina Meleca, teacher, Ion Creanga Theoretical Lyceum, Cosnita Village, Dubasari District:
I’ve definitely had a unique and extremely important experience for primary school teachers. I’m grateful for this course after which I leave with a bag of really useful new knowledge in the sphere of media education. I will definitely apply all the acquired knowledge in my teaching practice, using the new methods and games. We’re grateful for the experience gained, especially for the connection with personal attendance, and I’m looking forward to another meeting to get some new experiences.”
Svetlana Pulber, teacher, Mihai Eminescu Theoretical Lyceum, Causeni Town:
I decided to join this training session because I realized that the pupils’ parents and I are insufficiently prepared to guide the pupils through this complex and varied challenge. Guided by the trainers, we have explored the new media education content, discovered interactive methods and techniques of teaching Media Education as an optional course, identifying positive and negative effects of the media on children, and analyzed articles, newspapers, and movies. We have also enriched our vocabulary with new words from the media dictionary. At the end of the session, I confidently chose ‘My favorite media protagonist,’ and I returned home intending to create a ‘Gallery of protagonists’ to teach them how and what should be included in the ‘Media Block,” and to develop ‘Madlena media,’ consuming information properly from the ‘Media plate,’ considering the informational diet, the rules of etiquette, and avoiding informational ‘obesity.’ I’d like to urge the parents, my colleagues, and my pupils to think rationally and critically.”
Until recently, the IJC has trained 234 primary school teachers, 191 gymnasium teachers, and 277 lyceum teachers. The Media Education optional course has been taught in schools in the Republic of Moldova since 2017 and is included in the Framework Program of the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova for all three levels of education, i.e. primary school, gymnasium, and lyceum. The IJC developed the Media Education curriculum and textbooks which are issued to teachers and pupils free of charge.
The training program is part of the “READ – Responding, Expanding and Acting on Disinformation” project jointly implemented by International Media Support (IMS) from Denmark and the Independent Journalism Center (IJC), with the financial support of the European Union.
