A survey was conducted for students grades 4-12 in Maynard (Mass.) Public Schools by Gracie Gilligan for her senior project. She concluded that media literacy skills are not being acquired at home and are only briefly being brushed over in school. She notes that there are “still important areas for improvement.” A teacher at Maynard High School feels that students need to learn sourcing, critical thinking, bias, etc. as a part of the curriculum because of the bombardment of media that kids nowadays are exposed to. 

The majority of students do not know the difference between a trustworthy source and an untrustworthy source. I personally think that this needs to change, for research is such a prominent skill in our society, and students should not be misled while conducting their research. 

Some of the Maynard Public Schools have done a wonderful job, where they see a high rating of students having done a research project and have had in-class discussions about the benefits and harms of the media. 

I feel that this conducted research is proof that media should be a requirement for students because of the benefits media literacy carries. It teaches students what a good source is, how the media influences the population, how research is conducted, etc. Although I have written a few research papers in high school, COMM100 is the first class that has really taught me media literacy. Before this class, I did not exactly have a great understanding of what a good source was. The only thing I was ever taught was to try to stay away from Wikipedia, but beyond that anything was fair game. I was never truly able to identify a source as good or bad, and I feel that has stunted my learning, for I am now having to learn it on the fly as I take this course versus being taught it in high school where I could have had years of experience before coming to college. I think that K-12 institutions need to do better at teaching students media literacy before they graduate high school to better prepare them for college, especially in a day and age where being literate in terms of the media is a necessity to all.

 

Source (Published June 6, 2022): https://medialiteracynow.org/maynard-high-school-senior-class-project-uncovers-good-and-bad-news-on-media-literacy-education/