Media Literacy, Movies and Motivating Students An Interview with Renee Hobbs

Renee Hobbs is one of the nation's leading authorities on media education. She is a tenured associate professor at Temple University's School of Communication and Theater and directs the Media Literacy Lab at Temple. Hobbs is co-founder of the Alliance for a Media Literate America (AMLA), the national membership organization that hosts the National Media Education Conference. Hobbs has guided the development of media literacy education in the United States since the early 1990s, when she created the Harvard Institute in Media Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the first national-level teacher education initiative for media education in the United States. She has consulted for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the New York Times Education Program, Time magazine, and others. She received an Ed.D from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an M.A. in communication studies from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. in English literature from the University of Michigan.

1. What makes film a powerful teaching tool? How do you address the critique that film "takes away from more important 'basics'" like reading and writing? Film is a powerful teaching tool because it connects ideas with emotions. Research shows that people learn and remember best when their feelings are activated. The visual images of film are also a key element to their effectiveness as a learning tool. The drama of film - as storytelling - is another important feature that makes it a useful learning tool. People remember messages when they're connected to characters that they care about. Some educators say that film takes away from more important tasks like reading and writing, and it's true that a small number of teachers do use film inappropriately, as a time filler, for entertainment, or as a reward for good behavior. But movies can be an important component of instruction in English language arts, when used well. Films can help strengthen critical thinking and communication skills, motivating students to read and inspiring them to write. Teachers need more support in learning how to use films in the classroom to promote reading and writing skills. 2. How can film help teachers meet standards? Through the effective use of film in the classroom, teachers can help meet instructional standards for English language arts and the social studies. For example, middle-school students must learn how to recognize how messages are designed for specific audiences and purposes. Discussing films can help students develop an awareness of important concepts like target audience, purpose, genre, and point of view. Films can be effective stimulus material in inspiring students to speak and write, and many teachers have designed meaningful learning experiences that strengthen students' library research skills, their writing and reading skills by using film as a "jumping off" point to further study. 3. How is Walden Media contributing to the effective use of film in education? Walden Media is making teachers more aware of the high quality films that are relevant to their students and convey meaningful messages that promote positive social values. Without this support, many teachers might not be aware of the availability of these high quality films. The company also provides teacher study guides to help teachers use film to promote meaningful classroom discussion. 4. Are there particular subjects where the use of media is more important? Language arts, social studies, and the fine and performing arts are three key subject areas where film can be used well. 5. How would you define "media literacy?" What are some key skills that students develop through the use of film and other types of media in the classroom? Media literacy is an expanded conceptualization of literacy. When people conveyed messages primarily through written language, literacy included the skills of writing and reading (the sending and receiving of messages in symbolic code). Since people now convey messages using a wide variety of symbolic tools, including images, language and sound, literacy must be expanded to include all forms of communication and self-expression, including the tools of communication technologies. 6. You have written, "If media literacy is to emerge as a new vision of literacy for the information age, then a high degree of coordination will be required from among a range of shareholders: the scholarly community, educators in K-12 environments, parents, the publishing and media production industries, and the standardized testing industry. Given the decentralized nature of American schools, it is unlikely that such coordination will receive the support it needs." Is there a way, though, to centralize such efforts? A funded mandate (from the government or from a state) could provide the level of coordination and support that would enable a meaningful level of centralized change. But I'm not so sure centralized efforts are so necessary: Britain spent a ton of money to ensure that every student had the opportunity to do media literacy in high school, and they're not terribly satisfied with the (limited) results of that work. I think it's important to look at other kinds of school reform initiatives that have made a difference and learn from these examples. For example, the process-approach to teaching writing started as a small group of inspired teachers who get getting together each summer to support their own learning about a new way to teach writing. They gradually expanded and developed and shared their message - through books, conferences, etc - and once the critical mass reached about 25% of the population, teaching writing using the process model just became the "right" way to teach writing. I think that media literacy has the potential to grow like this - becoming, eventually, the "right" way to use film and media in the classroom. But we have a long way to go before reaching that 25% tipping point.

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