Fostering critical media literacy with young children

• In Event: Framing a program of research with/for/of the digital child in a digital era

Abstract

This paper suggests that young children may develop critical media literacies (CML) in both formal and informal learning environments. CML education promotes critical
reflection during media making and use (Buckingham, 2019, Share, 2015); however, it has previously excluded how early years children (aged 5 to 8) learn about communications media. CML education is sometimes embedded in curriculum experiences, as is the case in Australia through the Media Arts curriculum. Informally, children may learn about the media through familial or peer pedagogical processes (Dezuanni, 2020). In this paper, we outline examples from each of these scenarios to ask how children’s school and home CML experiences may be fostered.

Authors

• Michael Dezuanni, Queensland University of Technology

• Amanda Levido, Queensland University of Technology