How to Turn a Library into a Fact-Checking Lab and a Literature Lesson into a Detective Investigation?
How can we teach children to ask tough questions and distinguish truth from lies? These and other challenges of modern education were the focus of the regional forum “Developing Media Literacy in Ukraine: A Regional Perspective.”
On November 21, 2024, the Academy of Ukrainian Press (AUP) organized the forum in Zhytomyr. The event became a platform for finding solutions and exchanging experiences among educators, media literacy teachers, librarians, and administrators from Zhytomyr Oblast. With the support of Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, AUP is creating opportunities for everyone to contribute to safeguarding Ukraine's information space.
🔹 Opening Remarks: The forum began with Natalia Shevchuk, Deputy Head of the Department of General, Secondary, Preschool, Inclusive, and Extracurricular Education of the Zhytomyr Regional Military Administration. She emphasized that media literacy is no longer a trend but a necessity, particularly in the context of information warfare.
🔹 Addressing Key Challenges: Maksym Zaporozhchenko, manager of AUP’s media literacy programs and head of the Center for Digital Education and Media Culture at Mykolaiv Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education, presented AUP’s research findings. He shared practical examples of overcoming challenges such as resource shortages and insufficient funding.
🔹 Local Success Stories:
🔹 Workshop Highlights:
The forum culminated with a hands-on training session led by Lyudmyla Tabolina, a distinguished philologist, teacher of Ukrainian language and literature at Kyiv’s “Educator” Lyceum, and finalist of the Global Teacher Prize Ukraine 2019. Her innovative methods, including literary icebreakers, editorial challenges, Visible Thinking exercises, and book challenge cards, captivated the audience. Participants practiced analyzing fake news, working with alternative text interpretations, and creating creative media products.
The Zhytomyr forum marked another important step in promoting media literacy across Ukraine’s regions. Participants left with practical tools to integrate media literacy into their educational institutions and were inspired by the success stories of their colleagues.
Media literacy is not just about knowledge; it’s about equipping individuals to defend themselves against manipulation, make informed decisions, and nurture a generation of critical thinkers. Events like this reaffirm that educators, even in challenging times, are ready to take responsibility for the future of Ukraine’s information security.
AUP extends its gratitude to the Zhytomyr Regional Military Administration’s Department of Education and Science, Zhytomyr City Council’s Department of Education, and Zhytomyr Regional Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education for their support in organizing this event.
