The Eighth International Literacy & Education Research Network Conference on

SPETSES, GREECE
4-8 July 2001

Master in Human Sciences Cecilia Silva

Teacher of Language, Department of Educational System Technology,
School of Graduates, Faculty of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Japan

Elicitation of Powerful Concepts in the Framework of Media Literacy

Abstract

The present paper is a deliberately practical classroom-focused one which comments the results of activities aiming to combine powerful concepts (Banks, 1999:59-79) "one of the cores of multicultural education- and media literacy skills (Potter, 1998:67-81) "synthesis, comparison, generalization, and others- throughout the analysis of a media message. Along while-watching and post-watching activities, out of observation, collaboration and interaction, 82 Japanese students of Spanish as a Foreign Language produced about 32 concepts and worked with them while practicing the target language.

Having analyzed students, response in reports and debates, it was possible to determine which media literacy skills were activated along the work with powerful concepts. For example, the skill 'evaluation' and the concept 'dictatorship'. Students took the concept 'dictatorship' and compared its characteristics: those in the media message and those in the knowledge structure they had built as a result of previous experiences and readings. Having done such comparison, they could assess the value of the concept and express it in reports and debates.

The results of the experience indicate that the above-mentioned combination in a class of Spanish as a Foreign Language may be an effective road towards the development of a critical literacy, i.e. leading students to think about and analyze a media message, speak and write about it, thus using the target language in a creative way.

Presentation Type
30 min. Paper

Presentation Equipment Requirements
Powerpoint
OHP
I will take my own laptop, and also overhead transparencies as an alternative form of presentation

Speaking Date/Time Restrictions

Country
Japan