Best Practices

There are several challenges in identifying evidence-based best practices in media education: first, because most evaluations compare media literacy interventions either to a control group or to another intervention not based on media literacy; second because, as noted above, there is often a mismatch between what a program is teaching and the results it is measuring. As a result, “empirical evidence of best pedagogical practice, as opposed to self-testimony or retrospective reporting, is scarce”[1]; in other words, while we can say generally that media literacy works, it is difficult to say precisely which elements of media literacy programs work better than others. 

Outcome Chart - Nova Scotia - English Language Arts Primary (K)

Overall Expectations: Listening and Speaking

  • Learners will interact using effective oral language skills considering audience, purpose, and situation.

Specific Expectations:

  • begin to ask and respond to questions and seek information
  • describe a personal experience with at least one detail
  • engage in small- and whole-group conversation
  • begin to demonstrate that different kinds of language are appropriate to diff

Outcome Chart - Ontario - Collaboration

Overall Expectations:

Collaboration involves the interplay of the cognitive (thinking and reasoning), interpersonal, and intrapersonal competencies needed to work with others effectively and ethically. These skills deepen as they are applied, with increasing versatility, to co-construct knowledge, meaning, and content with others in diverse situations, both physical and virtual, that involve a variety of roles, groups, and perspectives.

Outcome Chart - Nunavut - ELA 3

Strand: Uqausiliriniq

Overall Expectations:

1. listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to access and explore prior knowledge and experiences of self and others.

Specific Expectations:

1.1.1 Use conversation to explore personal understanding

1.1.2 Explain examples of text preferences (oral, print, and other media)

1.2.1 Use prior knowledge and new information to draw conclusions

1.2.2 Explore personal and others' opinions and understandings

Media Safety Tips: Tweens (10-13 years old)

Media risks

The risks that kids encounter in media fall into four categories:

Content risks, where kids are exposed to or engage with harmful content such as violence, hate, or sexualized media; 

Conduct risks that come from what kids do or how they interact with other users; 

Consumer risks related to money, advertising, and data collection; 

Authenticating Information, Body Image, Digital Citizenship, Digital Health, Marketing & Consumerism, Online Hate, Pornography, Privacy, Stereotyping

Outcome Chart - Manitoba - Visual Arts – K-4

Strand: Making (VA-M2)

Overall Expectations:

  • The learner demonstrates an understanding of and a facility with visual arts media, tools and processes.

Outcome Chart – Ontario – Science 3

Strand:  A3. Applications, Connections and Contributions

Overall Expectations:

Demonstrate an understanding of the practical applications of science and technology, and of contributions to science and technology from people with diverse lived experiences.

Specific Expectations:

Does Media Education Work?

The question of whether media education, or digital media literacy, “works” is a bit misplaced. There is no doubt that it works in the same sense that other areas of study “work,” in that students who’ve received media education know more about digital media literacy than those that haven’t – just as students who take history courses know more about history than those that don’t.

Outcome Chart - Manitoba - Social Studies 12: Canadian Law

This chart contains media-related learning outcomes from Manitoba, Curriculum for Social Studies: Canadian Law 12, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site.

Outcome Chart - New Brunswick - Social Studies 4

Strand: Economics

Big Idea: Systems

Skill Descriptor:

Outline population patterns, communication and transportation networks, and employment across Canada.

Achievement Indicators:

Describe how communication and transportation networks connect Canadians, including online