What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to highlight the necessity of equipping educators to teach critical media literacy for fostering informed participation in democracy.

March 21, 2026

Preparing Educators to Teach Critical Media Literacy

Key Points

The aim is to highlight the necessity of equipping educators to teach critical media literacy for fostering informed participation in democracy.
Review of existing teacher training programs in media education
Teaching a graduate-level course for preservice and in-service teachers
Utilizing a theoretical framework from cultural studies and critical pedagogy.
Identified a lack of teacher training in critical media literacy
Described the course structure and its focus on multiple texts
Emphasized the importance of analyzing the link between information and power.

Abstract

This essay explores the need to prepare educators to teach their students to think critically about the media and information they use and encounter daily so they can become empowered citizens with a sense of agency to use these tools to participate in shaping democracy. After reviewing the dearth of teacher training in media education, the author describes his experiences teaching a graduate-level course for preservice and working teachers in critical media literacy. This course is based on a theoretical framework from cultural studies and critical pedagogy that expands the notion of literacy to include multiple types of texts as well as deepens the critical analysis to question the connections between information and power.

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Preparing Educators to Teach Critical Media Literacy

Key Points

Abstract

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