Media Literacy Teacher Talk: Interpretation, Value, and Implementation

This paper analyzes how 10 teachers in a literacy master’s program interpret, value, and implement media literacy education following a semester-long course. Interview data are analyzed using the Belenky et al’s Women’s Ways of Knowing framework. While all participants valued what they understood media literacy to mean, some confused ML with technology. Implementation reflected participants’ varied understandings. Some participants integrated ML into existing units, which lead students to critical analysis and creation of media. Findings suggest 3 challenges for ML educators: contextual limitations and restrictions, ML content knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge