Chapter 2: Critical Media Literacy and Values: Connecting With the 5 Ws

Who, what, where, when, why, and how might teachers explore values through critical media literacy? This chapter addresses the 5 Ws of media literacy: What is media literacy? Who teaches media literacy? Why and when should teachers employ media literacy to promote values instruction and literacy learning? How might educators teach critical media literacy? Where can readers learn more about media literacy?

Like whole language, authentic assessment, or constructivism, media literacy is a rather tenuous umbrella term. Ask 10 media educators what media literacy is and you will most likely get 10 definitions. Despite differences, however, in 1993 various media experts gathered in Aspen, Colorado, USA, and formulated a definition of media literacy as “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and communicate messages in a variety of forms” (Firestone, in Hobbs, 1997, p. 7). Most media educators ascribe to this definition in some way, although their emphases may differ.