Walker, Emma ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4494-8093 and Rock, Brian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6868-3940 (2025) Reading media: Developing critical media literacies with KS3 students and educators. In: UKLA Conference 2025 Beating the Odds: Changing Futures, 27-29th June 2025, Liverpool. (Unpublished)

Slideshow (UKLA 2025 Conference presentation) FINAL_Critical Literacies_UKLA_2025 (1).pptx - Presentation Download (5MB)

Abstract

A number of recent developments in socio-political media – including the growth of ‘fake news’, ‘alternative facts’ and conspiracy theories; the emergence of ‘anti-gender’ movements; and the growth of various forms of extremist and populist politics – have posed significant threats to democratic society (Giusti & Piras, 2020; Simmons, 2023). Ironically, at the same time, literacy education in schools in England has taken a decidedly functional turn, with the late twentieth century’s developments in critical literacy education increasingly marginalised in schools (Ashbridge et al., 2021). This leaves pupils relatively powerless in the face of disinformation and primes them for ideological manipulation and various forms of exploitation.

In response to these challenges, this UKLA funded research seeks to equip teachers and pupils with the knowledge and skills to engage with an increasingly complex media environment in an informed and agentive manner. Specifically, the research project involves co-designing, piloting and evaluating a critical media literacies scheme of work for KS3 pupils.

As a participatory action-research project (Chevalier & Buckles, 2019 p.2; Fine & Torre, 2021), the study is built on the fundamental tenet that what matters is ‘to do research ‘with’ people and not ‘on’ or ‘for’ people’ thereby bringing together the voices, knowledge and experiences of KS3 pupils and teachers with the most up-to-date academic scholarship to develop critical literacy skills, as a means of analysing, interpreting, critiquing and ‘speaking back’ to various media and messages.

The findings will be reported in this presentation with a focus on the transformative impact of the learning undertaken.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Status:	Unpublished
Subjects:	L Education > L Education (General)
School/Department:	School of Education, Language and Psychology
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/14247

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