it, this integration helps students become more aware of the role and impact of media in their lives. Community walks are a col- lective experience that immediately engages students and situates educators and students as co-learners in a neighbourhood media exploration where learners see themselves reflected in the curriculum.


WHAT IS MEDIA LITERACY?


“OUR WEEKLY COMMUNITY WALK IS A MINI FIELD TRIP THAT ALWAYS GENERATES LOTS OF EXCITEMENT. AS STUDENTS DOCUMENT SOUNDS AND IMAGES, THEY DEVELOP VOICE AND AGENCY. THEY ARE KEEN TO POINT OUT DIFFERENT SIGNS, EXCITED BY THE FACT THEY CAN “READ” THE ENVIRONMENTAL PRINT, BUT ALSO PUZZLED AND QUICK TO INQUIRE ABOUT SIGNS THAT SEEM UNFAMILIAR OR EVEN UNFAIR.”


As we know, the revised Ontario Language curriculum embeds a multimodality ap- proach to language teaching and learning. Te approach is essentially a “text as media” inquiry (i.e., media literacy) approach, invit- ing questions about how texts communicate meaning through various modes and cul- tural contexts. I already knew that bringing multimodal texts into the classroom engages students. And since many of Ontario’s cur- riculum documents centre on themes of identity and encourage inquiry processes, I knew that the community walk experi- ence would provide a perfect opportunity to learn through multimodal texts and connect across the curriculum, for example to Social Studies/History (urban cultural identity), or Geography and Mathematics (map-making). Marshall McLuhan reminded us that “the


medium is the message,” meaning that we should pay attention to media forms and their effects as well as (if not more than) their con- tent. Tis is where one of the key media liter- acy pedagogies – teaching through and about – naturally occurs. Tis approach helped me realize I was oſten too focused on using texts as a vehicle for teaching curricular content, but not teaching about the texts themselves. Te community walk enables this shiſt in per- spective by focusing on the common but of- ten “invisible” details of neighbourhoods, like stop signs, traffic lights or architecture. Our weekly community walk is a mini


field trip that always generates lots of ex- citement. As students document sounds and images, they develop voice and agency. Tey are keen to point out different signs, excited by the fact they can “read” the envi- ronmental print, but also puzzled and quick to inquire about signs that seem unfamiliar or even unfair. AML’s Media Literacy Triangle, a graphic


framework for understanding key concepts in media literacy, comes in handy as a tool to support critical thinking about media, pro- viding prompts for examining the relation- ship between text, audience and producer. I use triangle questions such as How might different people understand this sign? What


22 ETFO VOICE | FALL 2024


colours or shapes do you see? Why is this here? to push student thinking forward with- in our deceptively ordinary environment. As our learning community continues


the walk, I notice that students begin to un- derstand that street signs have the power to tell people (including the children) what they can and cannot do, illustrating a grow- ing awareness about the social and political relationships that are present in cultural texts and how these texts inform their daily lives. Again, the AML’s media triangle – and their media literacy key concepts – are effective frameworks for learning about bias, values messages, and economic implications. Te concepts may seem complicated but


are really quite simple. For example, the chil- dren notice a sign that depicts a camera or CCTV. We regularly use cameras to docu- ment our learning and the kids are familiar with consent and of what or who we can and cannot take photographs. Te students dis- cuss their discomfort with having their imag- es captured on camera without their consent. Here is a critical literacy learning opportuni- ty to further develop awareness about media codes and conventions, as well as the circula- tion of social and political messages. For deeper exploration of representation


of diverse groups, issues, and perspectives, the modified Anti Bias and Anti Racist Me- dia Triangle (ABAR) handily delivers. Te media triangle in all its iterations serves as a valuable framework for exploring our com- plex relationships with society. It acts as a useful tool for me to engage, question or ex- pand on children’s expressions of their think- ing, creating a space for layered experiences in collaborative inquiry and reflection.


DIGITAL MEDIA LITERACY/PRODUCTION


When the children return to the classroom aſter the community walk, there is much commotion as they curate the photos and videos, re-experiencing memories and sights from the day. Tey talk together and review interesting material, placing favourite photo- graphs in a collaborative slide deck. Now the focus is on production and creation in vari- ous forms. Students use Clips, an iPad app, to select interesting signs and describe shapes they see in the signs or how they might change or improve the signs for readability. As a part of our co-created classroom com- munity agreements, the children regularly photograph their work and then capture a short voice recording that automatically up- loads to a digital portfolio for each child.


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