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Description
Media literacy (ML) is a comprehensive set of knowledge and skills that are not yet sufficiently integrated into Czech school education. Representative research by OWIS and the ČŠI survey (both 2018) shows that the pupils'' ML is low. This is manifested e.g. by their lack of awareness of how social networks work, their inability to distinguish commercial messages from news channels and their difficulty in assessing the credibility of articles. A low ML means that students do not evaluate the obtained information critically enough, as a result of which they may be more subject to deceptive advertising or misinformation. This project is focused on the development of media education (ME) at primary schools in Czechia. It responds to the shortcomings in the area of integrating ME into teaching at Czech schools and the development of pupils'' ML. We want to contribute to the elimination of 3 interconnected factors that affect the level of ME in schools: insufficient readiness of teachers to teach ME; small space for teaching ME in schools; limited availability of quality didactic and attractive teaching materials or lack of time to actively search for them. OWIS has been engaged in educational activities for 20 years, and the ME is one of its top priorities. Our materials are used by teachers in more than 4000 schools and the demand for them grows. That is why we strive for the development of the portfolio and place great emphasis on the education of teachers, who play a key role in the development of ML of students. As part of the project, we will create 3 audiovisual teaching lessons, for which will be organized 3 fulll-day seminars. We will expand our base of lecturers who will train other teachers, among other things, in the use of the resulting materials in teaching.
Summary of project results
Media literacy (MiL) is a complex set of knowledge and skills that are not yet sufficiently integrated into teaching in Czech schools. As can be seen from the representative research of JSNS and from the Czech School Inspectorate (CSI) survey (both 2018), the MiL of pupils is low. This manifests itself, for example, in the fact that they have insufficient awareness of the functioning of social networks, cannot recognize commercial messages from the news, and find it difficult to assess the credibility of articles. A low MiL leads to the fact that students do not evaluate the received information critically enough, as a result of which they may be more susceptible to manipulation.
An even more obvious urgency to deal with media education manifested during the pandemic, when students spent more time than usual on the Internet (among other things due to online teaching). This led to an increase in cyberbullying, sexting and other negative phenomena associated with being in the cyberspace.
MiL is a so-called cross-cutting topic, which means that it depends on each school, and often on individual teachers, what topics they focus on in teaching. Available research (CSI, JSNS) show, for example, that: 3/4 of teachers consider MiL an important topic, but 3/4 of teachers do not have enough ressources to teach it.
More than 80% of the teachers in our research agree with the statements that media education is considered a controversial topic in the Czech Republic and that teachers do not have enough knowledge and skills, and thus feel insecure when teaching it.
Some of these conclusions are also confirmed by the research of the Palacky University in Olomouc (2021): 80% of teachers did not take any subject focused on MiL during their studies at the Faculty of Education, only less than 37% of respondents completed a MiL seminar as part of further education. And less than half of them said that they focus on MiL in their classes.
The aim of the project was to respond to the above-mentioned shortcomings and to help bring MiL in primary schools.
- Creation of 3 audiovisual (AV) lessons, each includes 1 film, 1 or 2 classroom activities, an information sheet for teachers and other recommended ressources. The lessons addressed the topics of
- the risks of the cyberspace (protection of personal data) with the film #lockdocks
- digital addictions, healthy online habits and time regulation online and offline with the film Free Device Dinner
- cyberbullying and ostracism in the digital environment, the lesson is intended to lead to prevention among pupils in lower grades of elementary school. With the film Vicky’s party
The lessons are available for free to the teachers on our platform JSNS.CZ even after the project ending.
- 3 full-day workshops for teachers, each workshop was based on one of the three new AV lessons, the program included a practical presentation of the new lesson, a discussion with an invited expert on the given topic, presentation of other ressources related to the topic. 48 teachers attended the workshops.
- Training of trainers: a 3-day training of potential new trainers chosen among teachers who teach Media Literacy in their schools, participants then led their own trainings under the supervision of experienced trainers. 12 teachers attended the 3-day training, 8 of them also already led a training.
- Promotion and communication of the new AV lessons, the seminars and the importance of Media Literacy
- Activities to further educate the JSNS team> participation to 2 conferences and a media Literacy festival, 3 further-education meetings with experts, 1 team-member attended a workshop on dealing with public-speaking nervousness, 1 member was trained in management skills, 12 members attended a training on communication skills
- A laptop was bought for one of the project team member
- Lesson views: from January 2023 (publishing of the first AV lesson) to the end of the project (March 2024), the total number of lesson views was 588 (we can measure the number of views as the lessons are on our website). Thus, the lessons most likely reached thousands of primary school students, which we consider a great success. These students thus had the opportunity to strengthen their abilities in the field of media education, safe movement in cyberspace and a critical approach to it. Since the lessons will be available on jsns.cz for at least several more years and we will continue to promote them, the number of impacted pupils should increase.
- 48 participants were trained at the workshops within the project. Our trainers and expert guests gave them the principles of the methodology of working with lessons and the necessary professional knowledge. We believe that graduates can effectively use the new lessons with pupils. However, thanks to training in our methodology, they can confidently carry out our other lessons and thus continuously increase the students'' media literacy. We received only positive feedback from seminar participants (from questionnaires and on-site evaluations). The number of participants was lower than planned, but almost half of them (20) were newly registered users. Thanks to the project, we have thus acquired a number of new users who can use our materials to educate pupils to become media literate.
- Thanks to the project we involved the graduates of the training for trainers very intensively in practice without delay, which enabled us to carry out 14 educational events for teachers in about 4 months (from the training of the lecturers to the end of the project). The number of events continues to grow, and new lecturers educate teachers throughout the Czech Republic in the JSNS methodology. They thus play a key role in the implementation of media education in schools.