ABSTRACT
The 1980s was a decade of spectacular development for media education in Europe. The motor which drove that development, in a period generally characterised by educational retrenchment and conservatism, was the determination of many media teachers to ensure that an era of unprecedented expansion and technological development in the media would be matched by a commensurate expansion in the critical consciousness of students and pupils. Of central importance in shaping the thinking of European media teachers was an extensive programme of conferences, courses and publications organised by the Council of Europe throughout the 1980s. 1 Space does not permit a nation-by-nation account of specific developments in member countries of the Council of Europe, though these are available elsewhere (Council of Europe, 1989). Instead my intention is to outline some of the main lines of development in what has been an exciting period for the media education movement, and to suggest some guidelines for future action, particularly in the field of teacher education.
