DOCUMENT RESUME ED 414 872 IR 018 635 AUTHOR Buckingham, David, Ed. TITLE Watching Media Learning: Making Sense of Media Education. ISBN ISBN-1-85000-653-9 PUB DATE 1990-00-00 NOTE 236p. AVAILABLE FROM Falmer Press, 1900 Frost Rd., Suite 101, Bristol, PA 19007-1598 (clothbound: ISBN-1-85000-652-0; paperback: ISBN-1-85000-653-9, $33). PUB TYPE Books (010) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Communications; Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; Journalism Education; *Mass Media; News Media; Programming (Broadcast); Television; *Theory Practice Relationship; *Vsual Literacy IDENTIFIERS *Media Education ABSTRACT Media education is expanding, both as a subject in its own right, and as a cross-curricular theme. Based on detailed classroom research, this book identifies the rewards and achievements, as well as the difficulties and contradictions, of teaching about the media in Great Britain. Four major themes emerge: the process of teaching and learning; the relationship between theoretical and practical work; teaching about race and gender; and the place of media education in other curriculum areas. The book is divided into four parts: School Knowledge, Commonsense Knowledge; Theory and Practice; Reading Representations; and Media Education and the Curriculum. It includes t3se following chapters: (1) "Media Education: From Pedagogy to Practice" (David Buckingham); (2) '"Stepping into the Void: Beginning Classroom Research in Media Education" (David Buckingham, Pete Fraser, and Netia Mayman);'.(3) "How Do Teachers and Students Talk about Television?" (Pete Fraser);(4) "Redefining Creativity: Extended Project Work in GCSE Media Studies" (Roy Stafford); (5) "Playtime: Learning about Media Institutions through Practical Work" (Jenny Grahame); (6) "Teaching and Learning about Representation: Culture and "The Cosby Show" in a North London Comprehensive" (Julian Sefton-Green); (7) "Intervening in Popular Pleasures: Media Studies and the Politics of Subjectivity" (Chris Richards); (8) "Implementing a Media Education Policy Across the Curriculum" (Jocelyn Robson, Jonathan Simmons, and Martin Sohn-Rethel); (9) "Teaching the Text: English and Media Studies" (Andy Freedman); and (10)"Making It Explicit: Towards a Theory of Media Learning" (David Buckingham). (Contains 135 references.) (SWC) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** Watching Media Learning 11111111111111 111111111111111111111111 11111111111111111iliiiiiiiiiiliiimmtiliikom 11111111111111411 11 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS CENTER (ERIC) A ATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTEDBY This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization E. Streisand originating it. 13 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. 1111111111111111111111111111111111111 1111111111111111 Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent 10 THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES official OERI position or policy. INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." MAKING SENSE OF MEDIA EDUCATION Edited By (,() David Buckingham BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 The Falmer Press Watching Media Learning In memory of Alan Tobe 1955-1987 4 Watching Media Learning Making Sense of Media Education Edited by David Buckingham The Falmer Press (A member of the Taylor & Francis Group) LondonNew YorkPhiladelphia 5 UK The Falmer Press, Rankine Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG24 OPR USA The Falmer Press, Taylor & Francis Inc., 1900 Frost Road, Suite 101, Bristol, PA 19007 © Selection and editorial material copyright David Buckingham 1990 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the Publisher. First published 1990 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Watching media learning: making sense of media education. 1. Great Britain. Educational institutions. Curriculum subjects. Mass media. I. Buckingham, David, 1954 302.234071041 ISBN 1-85000-652-0 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Watching media learning: making sense of media education/ edited by David Buckingham. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references (p.). ISBN 1-85000-652-0: ISBN 1-85000-653-9 (pbk.) 1. Television in education Great Britain. 2. Mass media in education Great Britain. I. Buckingham, David, 1954- LB1044.7.W3251990 371.3' 35-dc20 Jacket design by Benedict Evans Typeset in 11/13 Bembo by Chapterhouse, The Cloisters, Formby L37 3PX Printed in Great Britain by Burgess Science Press. Basingstoke on paper which has a specified pH value on final paper manufacture of not less than 7.5 and is therefore 'acid free'. Contents Preface and acknowledgments vii List of abbreviations viii Introduction Chapter 1Media Education: From Pedagogy to Practice 3 David Buckingham Part One: School Knowledge, Commonsense Knowledge Chapter 2Stepping into the Void: Beginning Classroom Research in Media Education 19 David Buckingham, Pete Fraser, Netia Mayman Chapter 3 How do Teachers and Students Talk about Television? 60 Pete Fraser Part Two: Theory and Practice Chapter 4Redefining Creativity: Extended Project Work in GCSE Media Studies 81 Roy Stafford Chapter 5Playtime: Learning about Media Institutions through Practical Work 101 Jenny Grahame Part Three: Reading Representations Chapter 6Teaching and Learning about Representation: Culture and The Cosby Show in a North London Comprehensive 127 Julian Sefton-Green Chapter 7Intervening in Popular Pleasures: Media Studies and the Politics of Subjectivity 151 Chris Richards Part Four: Media Education and the Curriculum Chapter 8Implementing a Media Education Policy across the Curriculum 171 Jocelyn Robson, Jonathan Simmons, Martin Sohn-Rethel Chapter 9Teaching the Text: English and Media Studies 194 Andy Freedman Conclusion Chapter 10 Making It Explicit: Towards a Theory of Media Learning 215 David Buckingham Bibliography 227 Notes on Contributors 231 Index 233 Preface and Acknowledgments The essays collected in this book have emerged from the work of the Media Teachers' Research Group, based in the Department of English and Media Studies at the University of London Institute of Education. Over the past three years, the group has served as a regular forum for experienced media teachers in secondary and further education to share and discuss their own work. Despite the current constraints on educational innovation, media education has continued to expand throughout the past decade, and is increasingly becoming a part of every teacher's work. Yet while there is a growing number of publications concerned with the area, none as yet has provided a detailed description or evaluation of classroom practice. This book represents an initial attempt to fill that gap. Our aim, therefore, is not primarily to make the case for media education, or to provide teaching materials or strategies. Rather than offering glowing accounts of `good practice', we have sought to acknowledge the difficulties and contradictions of teaching about the media, as well as its considerable achievements and rewards. Above all, we have attempted to be honest, not merely about the realities of classrooms as we have experienced them, but also about our own confusions and inadequacies. While we can inevitably offer only fragments of classroom practice, we hope that readers will recognize these, and be able to relate them to their own everyday teaching experiences. The following have at some stage been members of the group, or have contributed to its work: Vivienne Adams, David Buckingham, Phil Cohen, Jon Davison, Pete Fraser, Andy Freedman, Nick Fur longer, Marie Gillespie, Jenny Grahame, John Hardcastle, Sylvia Hines, Sam Kingsley, Bethan Marshall, Richard Marshall, Roger Martin, Netia Mayman, Jo McClatchey, Lucy Moy-Thomas, Lydia Plowman, Chris Richards, Jocelyn Robson, Julian Sefton-Green, Jonathan Simmons, Martin Sohn-Rethel, Roy Stafford, Sian Statters, Alan Tobe. In addition, the editor would particularly like to thank Celia Greenwood for her helpful and supportive comments on the manuscript. David Buckingham January 1990 vii List of Abbreviations AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome BBC British Broadcasting Corporation BFI British Film Institute BTEC Business and Technician Education Council CDT Craft, Design and Technology CEE Certificate in Extended Education CGLI City and Guilds of London Institute CPVE Certificate in Pre-Vocational Education CSE Certificate in Secondary Education DES Department of Education and Science FEU Further Education Unit GCSE General Certificate in Secondary Education HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus HMI Her Majesty's Inspectorate IBA Independent Broadcasting Authority ILEA Inner London Education Authority INSET In-service Training LEAG London and East Anglian Group (Examination Board) MSC Manpower Services Commission NCVQ National Council for Vocational Qualifications NEA Northern Examining Association RSA Royal Society of Arts SEG Southern Examining Group SLR Single Lens Reflex STAS Science, Technology and Society TVEI Technical and Vocational Education Initiative VCR Video Cassette Recorder WJEC Welsh Joint Examinations Council viii Introduction 11 Chapter 1 Media