How can we invite students to think more critically about the media they are consuming?

What happens when students are given opportunities to interrogate and create texts as a way to respond to bias and injustice?

By: Yasmin Owis

One of the central methods that Addressing Injustices embraces is project-making. Over the years we have invited students to deconstruct, dismantle and interrogate the social inequities and injustices in texts by offering creative ways to reimagine and reconstruct them.

Project-making demonstrates the power of reimaginiation and response. It creates space for new insights and engagement that comes with carving out moments for students to creatively and meaningfully respond to texts beyond writing.

Part of adapting this approach was to illustrate the importance of being able to read critically, but also to create something new when facing themes and realities of social injustice. By inviting students into a process of creative thinking, production and meaning-making, we have engaged in a form of critical media literacy.

This week (October 26-30) is Media Literacy Week. We invite educators to think about the ways we can support students to both deconstruct and reconstruct media texts as a way to address social injustices.

“Project-making demonstrates the power of reimaginiation and response”

You can see some of the final products of these invitations by exploring the projects featured on the website, notably Remaking Maus Zine, Free 451, and Gender is Like an Ocean.