In today’s media-saturated world, we need to teach our students the habits of critical thinking needed for their academic, career and civic lives. They need consistent practice in asking the right questions and in reflecting on their own meaning-making. Project Look Sharp’s approach integrates materials and methodologies that teach both core subject-area learning with these media literacy skills.
Our Instructional Approach
We encourage educators and students to not only analyze the media messages they encounter, but to also reflect on why they interpret media the way they do and why others may decipher or convey information differently. Through this inquiry-driven, evidence-based approach, learners develop compassion and confidence to effectively collaborate and communicate across differences.
Constructivist Media Decoding
This method of teaching is the cornerstone of our approach to media literacy pedagogy.
It enables busy educators to integrate media literacy into their curricula in any core content and grade level.
Media Decoding
is the process of analyzing and evaluating the messages conveyed by diverse forms of media—a necessary skill in today’s digitally mediated world.
A Constructivist Approach
is inquiry-based - teaching through reflective dialogue. It enables learners to “construct” new knowledge for themselves by reconciling new information with their previous experiences and ideas.
Constructivist Media Decoding
engages diverse learners, deepens their understanding of subject material, and hones higher order thinking skills in analysis and reflection. It is highly relevant for students’ mediated reality, and is highly successful with traditionally disenfranchised students.
Educator Developed, Standards-Aligned
The new C3 standards require a shift to inquiry-based methodologies that teach
students to ask questions, evaluate sources, provide evidence, and communicate well-reasoned
conclusions. The National Council for the Social Studies recent Position Paper on Media Literacy, co-authored by Project Look Sharp, illustrates how our materials and training address the shifts in pedagogy and instruction proposed by C3.
The new Next Generation standards emphasize the integration of critical thinking and literacy skills with core content instruction. Our approach, as outlined in the Science Scope article, Teaching Critical Thinking Through Media Literacy, requires students to apply scientific knowledge to the critical analysis of diverse and often conflicting representations of scientific information and to reflect on how their own biases impact their interpretation of information and assessment of the credibility of sources.
These standards require the integration of literacy skills into content area
instruction. This has been our focus for over 20 years!
These standards require teaching students to analyze and evaluate ALL media messages - in print, web sites, popular culture, entertainment, music and more. Use the Key Questions to Ask When Analyzing Media messages to integrate the habits of critical thinking across the curriculum.
