The most challenging issue in education today is the transformation of the teacher's role:
no longer a "sage on the stage," but rather a "guide on the side."
There are more than three million teachers in the United States. And that doesn't count religious educators and youth ministers in churches, temples and synagogues, Scout leaders, afterschool organizers and coaches for a plethora of sports. All have one thing in common — a commitment, even a passion to help the next generation(s) gain the skills they will need to be whole and healthy persons, informed and active citizens, knowledgeable workers and loving adults and parents of future generations.
This section of the CML website provides an overview of what's needed to prepare teachers for media literacy as well as the services and roles CML can provide and practical suggestions and resources for getting started.
- The Challenge of Professional Development in the Field of Media Literacy
- Getting Started: Strategies for Introducing Media Literacy in Your School or District
- CML's Leadership Role in Professional Development
- CML Professional Development Services
- CML In-Service Resources
- The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education
In the 21st century, students come to school with skills, information and "prior knowledge" that were never available to earlier generations. Preparing teachers for working with students who have thousands of hours of "screen" time, used social media, mastered dozens of videogames before kindergarten and become masters of smartphones is an enormous challenge to the many structures that support the preparation of teachers and leaders for both the formal US educational system and informal community-based programs.
If media literacy is to take hold in these systems, it must be addressed in educational institutions from top to bottom:
- State education agencies.
- School districts and sub-districts.
- Individual schools — public, private and parochial.
- Community groups, pre-school and after-care providers.
- Schools of education and institutions of higher learning.
- Independent agencies that provide teacher training, such as museums, arts programs, health or government agencies, religious organizations, and media or publishing companies.
- Individual educators or media professionals who wish to further their knowledge and improve their skills in media literacy education.