Linda Christensen writes a compelling piece about the importance of developing students’ critical awareness on childrens’ media so they are able to analyze the messaging of hierarchy and inequality often found in stories. There is a “secret education" that children learn as they consume over and over again with the same media they view in the comfort of their homes, and without proper education on uncovering stereotypes found in media, students are being taught to accept their world that is portrayed to them at face value.
Throughout my childhood, I was raised on Disney and Nickelodeon. After school, I always remembered watching Disney Channel and Teen Nick TV shows and aspired to live my life like some of the characters I was seeing on the screen. My dad worked all of the time and my mom was a stay-at-home mom who was a nanny for our neighbors and relatives. This left me to occupy myself most of the time and I didn’t really have an adult who was aware of what media I was consuming as a child. It wasn’t until middle school when I had a social studies teacher who used similar teaching strategies and intentions to Christensen who really opened my eyes to developing more critical literacy skills with Disney movies. I remember we watched Pocahontas and Hercules as they were both historical figures we learned about in class. My teacher had us watch the films and jot down what the movies “got right” and what the movies “got wrong" (here's an article for some of the inaccuracies in Pocahontas if you would like to know). My first time watching both of these films was in school and I remember my pencil was MOVINGGGGGG on the “got wrong” side. I think this was a formative exercise to recognize that Disney values entertainment over depicting historical accuracy.
While I do think that there are aspects of nostalgia and wholesomeness found in children's media, I totally agree with Christensen’s view that teaching students how to critically engage with the media they consume is necessary for them to be changemakers in the world.
LOL the image is so spot on. This also reminds me of Narnia which is essentially Christianity Lite, where Aslan's (Jesus') whims are mysterious and yet we're supposed to trust that he has everything under control and has our best interests at heart without transparency. There's so much subtle propaganda getting us to blindly trust people in positions of power.
ReplyDeleteMichele, I love your elevating the secret education within the realm of media intended for youth. Especially since youth consume media in different ways than adults and so the effects of their consumption likely has different effects on their views and understandings. Great job, and thank you for sharing.
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