Teaching Media Literacy Through Media Arts

Out of the various approaches one can take to address media literacy, I believe that arts media is probably the most efficient route to take when working with children. It gives students the chance to produce their own media art, which enables them to enter into the sphere of "creator." As the creator, they can evaluate what techniques work in such artistic productions such as television, film, and music, and which methods are less successful. It gives them the opportunity to explore the human psyche and how human beings interpret and absorb messages. From their experiences, they learn directly what influences and persuades them when viewing media, and why. Arts media also makes improving one's media literacy entertaining and tangibly relevant. However, as mentioned in Media Literacy: A Reader (2007) by Donaldo Macedo and Shirley R. Steinberg, media arts education should not simply be an opportunity for students' individualistic self-expression. Media arts should be a vehicle through which teachers dissect and discuss social issues and explore alternative modes of media production.

Which social issues one wants to deconstruct as a teacher may vary upon one's environment. I, for example, plan on eventually teaching in inner-city schools here in Montreal. One of the issues that I will most likely have to deal with is what I have termed "romanticized gangsterism." What I mean by this is the glorification of the thug lifestyle through the rap and hip-hop industry. I am an avid listener of such music; however, I am also critical of its lyrical content and aware of the images being projected at me. I do not simply absorb what I see and hear without deconstructing it for its hidden values and ideas. Essentially, I am media literate. Unfortunately, many children are not media literate, or at least not to any great extent. Therefore, the glocks, rocks, and dolla-dolla bills that permeate rap and hip-hop music become associated with coolness. Making gun signs with one's hands is a sign of strength. Wearing fake diamond-encrusted dollar symbols around one's neck is making a fashion statement. Young students forget that guns kill. They forget that human beings are virtually enslaved to maintain the real diamond industry. This is why teachers need to step in and take advantage of students' interest in media; not because they need to persuade children to stop listening to Notorious B.I.G., but because they need to help students understand why Biggie Smalls grew up in the ghetto, how it influenced his life, why he raps about drugs, guns, and a hardknock life. That is our responsibility. That is our job.