![]() ![]() You build vocabulary, but also understanding about how news is presented. You can you can bring a lot of news stories in Spanish or French or German to help students learn about current events. In science, you can learn about how the weather is presented for local news. You can have a math class, and the students can learn how the ratings are measured for television. But, from my point of view, media literacy can be woven into any class. We think of media literacy as a separate class or something that should be included in journalism classes. In one lesson, they fact check articles about immigration, and they see how reporters can make assumptions when they don’t understand communities.ĭo you have any advice for other educators about why they should prioritize media literacy? The News Literacy Project has a lot of lessons-in English and Spanish-to teach the students critical thinking skills, how to navigate media, and how to verify information. You can broadcast live from wherever you are, and just say whatever you want. I always say that nowadays, anybody with a cellphone thinks they can be a reporter. also want to know what is happening in their little communities back in Mexico, and the only way to get that information now is through social media. When they go to the doctor, are the ones who interpret for them. Most of my students were born in the United States, but their families are from Mexico and their family members might struggle with English. You’ve said that teaching dual-language students about news literacy can help their larger communities.Įxactly. So when I talk about certain topics they’re familiar with, they value that insight from me. I used to cover their communities, the Mexican and Latino communities in Chicago. Most of my students speak Spanish at home. I teach some of the lessons with my old stories, and they love to see them and say, “I remember when that happened!” I think that makes it more real for them. Does that change the way you approach the work? Does it give you more credibility with students? I also bring hard copies of newspapers in and have them pick out what is a story, what is an advertisement, what is an opinion piece. But then the last unit is, “you’re going to create a podcast and you’re going to write a news article.” And they also work on video projects. I start my class by teaching them about news and bias how the stories are created. ![]() ![]() I think the learning is in the experience and doing things. Do you think that that helps them understand what makes a story accurate?Ībsolutely. Once they understand that, then they can compare and go back to their TikTok and say, ‘Oh, is this a commercial, or is this somebody giving me advice?’ Or, ‘Are these facts or not?’ You’re teaching them how to produce news stories, not merely consume news. They need to understand how reporters make ethical decisions as they report the story. They need to identify what is misinformation they need to recognize that we are all humans and we will have biases. That’s why it’s important for them to understand the information they receive. They just get the information from their news feeds from their social media. They don’t watch over-the-air television. Students just barely remember what landline telephones are. What’s important are the critical thinking skills they get from learning these subjects. I think many people say or think, ‘Why teach media literacy?’ or ‘Why do you teach journalism to students?’ And I will say, ‘Why do you teach math to somebody who’s not not going to be a mathematician?’ or ‘Why do you teach science to somebody who’s not going to be a scientist?’ If you teach elementary school, do you give a 4th grader a calculator to do math homework? You don’t, because you need them to learn how math works. Why do you think it’s important for students to understand media literacy? This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Mendiola spoke with Education Week about the importance of media literacy for today’s students. She was recently honored by the News Literacy Project, an organization that promotes media literacy, as the educator of the year. In her broadcast journalism classes, Mendiola teaches students reporting techniques in the hope that understanding the process will help them be more thoughtful consumers of information. “I ask my students, ‘Do you want to be informed, or do you want to be influenced?’ ” Mendiola said.
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