Twenty-five years ago - in October 1981 - Church schools run by the Sisters of St Joseph, the Jesuits and the Salesians, under the guidance of the Commission for Social Communications led by Fr J. Borg, introduced the teaching of media education.
It was a brave move considering that these schools were going through a hard time because of the prevailing political situation. Instead of retreating into a defensive position these schools found the strength to be innovative. The move recognised that in a world dominated by the media, the way forward was education, not censorship.
Media education has nothing to do with using media in education nor has it anything to do with educational broadcasting. These two misconceptions abound but are incorrect just the same.
Characteristics
A media education programme has the following characteristics:
Students are familiarised with the conventions of the language of different media. As a result students will be able to "read" the media.
Students are also empowered to assess critically the message that the media present and be able to judge the values and life styles portrayed.
Students learn that media messages are produced by organisations with definite ownership structures and which operate according to particular production techniques. These organisations work within a society that influences the media while it is itself influenced by the media.
Students are helped to "write" with the media by being given the possibility and the opportunity to express themselves through their own productions.
Between 1981 and 1984, teachers and students used stencilled notes and materials that were produced by an ad hoc group of teachers. In 1984, the heads of all Church schools decided to introduce the subject in grades 4, 5, and 6. In 1985, a group of teachers produced the first set of media books for the junior schools.
The group, led by Fr Borg, was made up of Gemma Cachia, Lina Brockdorff, Sr Riches Grech, Fr Pierre Grech Marguerat, SJ and Fr Sacco. The set consisted of three workbooks to be used in grades 4-6 (ages eight-ten) of primary schools.
The Social Communication Commission regularly revised and updated the books in the light of feedback from teachers and students as well as changes in the media environment in Malta. The latest, and heavily revised, edition was printed in 2003 and was edited by Ms M. Dandria and Sr Riches Grech, who was responsible for the running of the project in the last decade.
The books for the primary schools are basically workbooks. Information is held to a minimum while practical activities are emphasised. Consequently students learn by actively involving themselves in projects. The very basic elements of the language of television, newspapers, magazines, picture stories and radio are introduced to students, with a focus on television.
In 1987 Fr Borg wrote Media Studies, the first book for use by Forms 1 and 2 of the secondary schools. This was revised in 1989. Together, we wrote the new editions which were published in 1993 and 1998. These editions were the result of continuous evaluation and a response to changes in the media environment. The 1993 edition reflects the introduction of radio pluralism in Malta and the resurgence of the cinema, while that of 1998 reflects the introduction of TV pluralism and the Internet.
Following feedback from teachers we wrote Exploring Media Languages. Media Education for Form 1. This 2003 publication of the Media Centre emphasises various media languages and the production of different media products. In 2004 we authored Exploring the Media landscape. Media Education for Form 2 which discusses issues related to media content such as news, advertising and stereotyping within the context of Maltese society. The secondary school books are textbooks more than workbooks, but they still include many activities.
International dimension
The introduction of media education in Church schools in Malta has to be seen in the light of what was happening internationally. Official Church documents stress the need of having media education taught in its schools. The Vatican II decree Inter Mirifica (1963) stated that it should be taught at all levels of Church schools and promoted the teaching of "proper habits of reading, listening and viewing" (para. 25).
The Pastoral Instruction Communio et Progressio (1971) states that media education must be given a regular place in school curricula and be taught systematically at every stage of education. It further states: "It is never too early to start encouraging in children artistic tastes, a keen critical faculty and a sense of personal responsibility based on sound morality" (para. 67).
Church schools in many countries, including Italy, Australia, India, USA, France, Ireland and Chile, were putting into practice the documents issued by the Church. UNDA, the international Catholic Association for radio and TV, was working hand in hand with UNESCO to promote media education.
UNDA, together with UNESCO, launched a pilot project consisting of ten sessions. Malta was one of the countries participating in this project. This served as the basis on which the full programme was built.
The Maltese programme
In the beginning of the Eighties, the inoculation approach was still present in several media education programmes in many countries. This approach encourages the protection of children and young people from media influence in the same way one would protect people from disease. It looks at the media in a negative way, takes a moralistic approach and urges children not to use them.
The media education programme used locally distances itself from this position. It is based on the belief that media use is an enjoyable experience for students and consequently this enjoyment should be enhanced. The programme, therefore, is more akin to the aesthetic and communicative models. The media education programme used in many Maltese schools also emphasises the societal aspect, i.e. the context in which media messages are produced and used.
In these last 25 years, thousands of students have gone through the programme. Several studies done abroad show, among other things, that media education increases students' analytical skills, makes them more aware of biases in news broadcasts, and more conscious of the persuasive strategies of advertising, and reduces the internalisation of unhealthy messages put forward by different media. Studies done in Malta by Dr Lauri show similar results.
In view of this research, heads of schools must evaluate the importance they are giving to media education and, together with people informed in this developing area, make the necessary changes to the programmes they offer at their schools. Parents, on the other hand should realise, now more than ever, that media education is a must. Any student not equipped with the tool of media analysis and media use is at a disadvantage in a world dominated by the media.
Next week we shall make suggestions that can help make this effort succeed.
Fr Joseph Borg was the pioneer of media education in Malta. He and Dr Mary Anne Lauri have been collaborating on this programme since the late Eighties. They co-authored the books used in Forms I and II and a number of academic papers. One such paper is available at www.educ.um.edu.mt/jmer/papers/JMERN411P1.pdf
The authors can be contacted at joseph.borg@um.edu.mt or mary-anne.lauri@um.edu.mt.