On September 18-19, 2024, the Cherkasy Regional Institute of Postgraduate Education of Pedagogical Workers hosted the Academy of Ukrainian Press Media Literacy School for teachers/methodologists of postgraduate pedagogical education institutions.
Natalia Chepurna, rector of the Cherkasy Regional Institute for Postgraduate Education of Teachers, opened the School and said: "We are sincerely grateful that the AUP chose our institution to hold this School, as we are actively developing both STEM and media literacy, and we know that our cooperation will go well."
The two days of training were full of practice-oriented workshops: the first block was devoted to basic media literacy skills, including the ability to analyze content, distinguish between its types, methods of influence, identify emotions and counter propaganda, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the information space.
Special attention was paid to the methodology of teaching the proposed material to teachers and children. At the end of the training part of the first day, the participants "packaged" the news about artificial intelligence, adapting it to their audience: "pensioners," "young mothers," "crypto investors," and "anti-progressives." While presenting their "news", the participants realized how the media, using various methods - opinions of pseudo-experts, loud headlines, fake testimonies, and commissioned research - can manipulate different audiences to form the desired opinion and belief. The day ended with a visit to the Shevchenko National Reserve in Kaniv.
Maksym Zaporozhchenko, AUP Media Education Programs Manager, Head of the Center for Digital Education and Media Culture at the Mykolaiv Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education, project trainer, said: "This project is AUP's response to the results of a recent sociological study that showed that teachers of science, mathematics, and computer science are less covered by media literacy than, for example, historians or language teachers. Today, we are training teachers and methodologists of Regional Institutes of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education, who will then pass on this knowledge to educators in their respective fields."
The second day was devoted to the issue of integrating media literacy into the teaching of science and math subjects. Participants got acquainted with innovative approaches, tools, and technologies for developing critical thinking in the focus of STEM-oriented learning and presented their final team projects.
"In today's society, media literacy should become one of the basic skills of each of us. After all, media literacy is a weapon of influence. We - citizens, students, and teachers - must be media-armed in order to build Ukrainian society and have a qualitative impact on our own future," said Yulia Zorya, head of the STEM Education Training Center at the Cherkasy Regional Institute of Postgraduate Education for Teachers, and project trainer.
All participants received materials from the Academy of Ukrainian Press to create their own training session and conduct it in their regions. The event, which brought together educators from all over Ukraine, was held in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Cherkasy Regional Institute of Postgraduate Education for Teachers, which provided all the conditions for the quality of the School. We thank the people of Cherkasy for their hospitality!
