Contemporary media pedagogy becomes an integral link capable not only to give methodological advice but also to encourage preparation of the strategy for development of new integration approaches. Exercises and activities are a certain basis for skill building and knowledge acquisition.
The basic elements boosting critical thinking development were discussed during the third experience exchange webinar on integration of media and information literacy in school subjects by means of pedagogy and media pedagogy. The event was held on May 26, 2020 and gathered 36 representatives from different higher educational establishments and re-training institutes taking part in the project.
Olena Taranenko, capacity building manager for IREX’s Learn to Discern in Education (L2D-Ed) program in Ukraine, became a moderator. She emphasized that the project strategy and goals directly relate to the integration, especially if the double implementors are engaged: “Media pedagogy unites everybody without exceptions, creates a synergy of like-minded people who follow the basic things but everyone works in one’s own field of activity.
Insights of participants:
Svitlana Izbash (Melitopol, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Melitopol State Teachers’ Training University)
“Pedagogic design is aimed at focusing our all efforts towards the educational needs of all learners through the efficient introduction of content and encouragement of everybody to cooperation. Such encouragement is especially important. My introduction to media pedagogy began 2 years ago when I passed trainings from the Academy of Ukrainian Press. Since that time, I have decided to prepare the course of ‘Media Pedagogy’. So, this course has been being implemented in Melitopol State Teachers’ Training University for two years already. First, we realized this idea as a certified educational program, but this year we have a full-fledged optional course. Details are available under the link on Facebook>>
Maksym Zaporozhchenko (Mykolaiv Regional Institute for Continuing Teachers’ Training)
“Media Pedagogy and media education in general was introduced in Mykolaiv region in 2006. One of regional boarding schools was taking part in the competition ‘Information Boom’ at that time. They won the first price and made a trip to Kyiv. Since then, they started preparing educational kits. We have a tradition at our institute that every methodology expert should guide an initiative group on a certain area of activity. My initiative group is called ‘From media experiment to practice. Using media content at the lesson or during extracurricular activity’. So, we are studying exactly the problem of appropriate media content integration based on psychological and pedagogical grounds in order to ensure a relevant attitude to this content on behalf of students and teachers.”
Anna Fedosova (Mykolaiv Regional Institute for Continuing Teachers’ Training)
“One could say, the activity of our institute is focused on media literacy and creation of such environment where our teachers would go beyond the so-called filter bubble, be more competent, study during the whole life and teach children to do the same.”
Maryna Yachmenyk (A.S. Makarenko Sumy Regional Institute for Continuing Teachers’ Training)
“Preparation of curriculum for a discipline ‘Media Literacy and Critical Thinking for Future Teachers of Language and Literature’ is included in the project with the use of experience that we already have. We have implemented this program to increase the motivation and integrate media and information literacy content in professional disciplines. We are glad to maintain partnership with AUP and IREX, which helps us improve. It gives us an opportunity to make changes, not just accept, improve ourselves, welcome new ideas, continue learning, teach our young generation and, certainly, take accountability for our actions and every single word.”
Svitlana Gerhul (Chernihiv, Taras Shevchenko National University "Chernihiv Collegium")
“From the very beginning, I supported incorporation of a single course ‘Media Education and Media Literacy’. When we just started working, we thought that the area of expertise ‘media literacy teacher’ should be established. And only such a teacher would communicate with children and implement media literacy in school classes. However, now I can see the advantages of media and information literacy integration in school subjects. In general, the combination of these approaches in media pedagogy is quite productive. I’d like to point out that interactive activities help us break with the tradition and complexity which is typically attributed to higher education.”
Project “Learn to Discern (L2D) - Media Literacy Training” is being implemented by International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and the British Embassy Kyiv, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Academy of Ukrainian Press.
