What is media literacy? Building children’s media literacy skills develops their understanding of the news and other information they see, hear, or read – whether it's on TV, online, in a newspaper, or on social media. It's about supporting them to ask questions, think carefully, and decide what content to trust. Everyone can have media literacy skills. At its core is critical thinking – something we can all practise, especially in today’s digital world. Why is it important? Children come across lots of messages every day. Some are facts, some are opinions, and some can be misleading. Ofcom found that 9 in 10 children own a mobile phone by the age of 11. It also determined that 64% of children aged 3 – 17 use apps for social media. It is this digital exposure in particular that makes media literacy extra important. Building media literacy skills helps children: · Tell the difference between facts and opinions. · Ask relevant questions to find out more. · Understand different points of view. · Share their own ideas confidently. · Stay safe and smart online. Schools using Picture News resources embed 4 key media literacy skills each week: · Analyse - Look closely at information. · Evaluate - Think about whether it's fair or trustworthy. · Research - Find out more. · Act - Share ideas and make a difference. Combined, working on these skills help children to navigate the content they encounter with confidence, whilst positively impacting the world on and off-line. Keep reading for our top tips to support children’s media literacy skills in your school setting. Top tips for promoting media literacy Chat about the news Ask the children what they've heard in the news. What do they think? What questions do they have? Making news part of your regular routines in school can support children to feel comfortable with raising questions, concerns or ideas with you about different types of content. Look at news together Explore different news sources. Talk about the pictures and headlines – do they tell the full story? Help children identify common components of media content – a catchy hook, opinions, facts, quotes, images etc. What impact do they think these features have on the audience? Encourage curiosity So much can be learned from thinking deeply about online content. Some key evaluation points to work through with children include: Who made this? Why did they make it? Can we trust it? Developing questioning can support critical thinking skills, useful to analyse various types of media. Talk about facts and opinion Help the children spot what's fact (something true) and what's someone's opinion (what they think or feel). Sometimes, content can present opinions as facts, and facts as opinions. Together, analyse pieces of content to determine the differences. Think about the purpose Encourage children to consider the motivations behind a piece of content, whether it’s a TikTok video or newspaper article. Key things to reflect on: Is the information trying to inform, entertain, sell something, or persuade us? Share your school values Talk about what matters to your school community and how to treat others with kindness and respect – even when people have different views. This can help embed important messages and values that children can uphold, helping them to respect others as they venture online. Be a role model Show your class how you check information or talk about news in a thoughtful way. How might you be able to work together when topics covered within the media are tough? Check out our ‘Talking to children about sensitive news’ blog to learn more. Keeping it REAL with the news! Media literacy can be quite complex! That’s why we’ve devised a handy acronym, to help you and your pupils remember the 4 key skills needed to be media savvy… Research - Can you make sense of the information? Can you find the information elsewhere, and is it reliable? How can you use technology safely to help children research? Evaluate - Can the article be trusted? Is it balanced and fair? Are the facts accurate? Where did you source the information? Analyse - Is the information fact or opinion? What feelings or emotions does the story try to create? Who is the intended audience? Learn – What can we learn from the information? How does it help us become more informed or knowledgeable? What can you do with this new knowledge? Can it positively impact you and your community? How can take action and make a difference, considering this information? Look out for a brand-new Picture News media literacy acronym resource… coming soon!
