ABSTRACT
English teachers have been formally required to teach about aspects of the media as part of the National Curriculum since 1989, making it sound as though such work is firmly established in the English classroom. In fact, this element is still somewhat controversial and the extent to which it is taught is still chiefly dependent in the secondary school on the leadership of the head of department and the enthusiasm of individual teachers. Yet, paradoxically, Media Studies remains one of the fastest growing subjects at GCSE and A level, and is almost entirely taught by English teachers. In the primary school, Media Education has never really developed in any significant way and the National Literacy Strategy, especially the literacy hour, has, if anything, diminished its presence. Given the central importance of the media in young children’s lives (see Livingstone, 2002; Kenway and Bullen, 2001) this remains a greatly missed opportunity. This chapter, somewhat regrettably, therefore places much more emphasis on the secondary classroom. Objectives
The aims of this chapter are:
to make a brief but clear case for teaching about the media in English;
to identify the requirements of the National Curriculum and the Framework for English in relation to media texts;
to provide a brief look at GCSE and Media Studies A level;
to give some idea of what media teaching looks like, including some practical work.
