November 2011 M-Passioned Member: Mike Gange
Name: Mike Gange
Title: Media Literacy Teacher and Advocate
What do you do?
I teach at Fredericton High, in Fredericton N.B. Canada. To help you with geography, I am about six hours north of Boston, MA., and five hours drive due north of L.L.Bean’s famous outdoors store in Maine.
I teach media studies and journalism courses, but have taught a whole range of other courses as well, including Social Studies, French Second Language and all grades and levels of English. Media Studies and journalism are, of course, my passions. I also write regularly for media publications such as newspapers or magazines, and I work in television on a fairly regular basis. I have published more than 150 book reviews, which I see as one of my contributions to helping other media teachers get new ideas or stay current and focused on better teaching.
Why is media literacy important to you?
I have been teaching media literacy techniques since my first days of teaching, some 27 years ago. Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked in radio, TV and print, as a reporter in small, medium and large markets in Canada. When I began television reporting, most stations were just switching from film news gathering to electronic news gathering (ENG) – video tape we call it now, but it was nowhere near to being digital. As soon as I became a teacher, I started to use de-construction techniques that the kids loved, so I saw this as a form of engagement within the classroom. I did this with French classes, law, social studies etc, incorporating media deconstruction into the lessons.
After teaching media studies for a few years, I discovered the Teacher’s Guide put out by the AML (Association for Media Literacy) of Ontario, Canada. Turns out, I was doing all the things they suggested to bring students to the synthesis levels of understanding. Without being aware of it, I found my niche.
When I was in university I had read Marshall McLuhan. I loved his work, and especially his idea that fish don’t realize the medium they are swimming in, until the adding of ink or poisons.
I see all sides to media literacy. At times, we need to use an inoculation approach. There are times when we need to protect our kids from some consequences of media consumption. But I have had most successes with empowerment, that is getting the kids to think, getting them to react to the media content they are swimming in, getting them to question the consequences of the media . At one time, media meant print, radio or television. Well, now our society is swimming in a whole lot of different media.
But the bottom line? We are teaching a whole generation of kids to think about their media consumption and to think for themselves. I see that we are empowering them to become revolutionary in their lives. Paulo Friere and Marshall McLuhan would both agree.
Tell me about your latest work or project in media literacy.
I am trying to make a couple of things happen. I want to have students who can communicate with other students, here in Canada, in the U.S. and Internationally. We will be launching this onto a web site very soon.
Secondly, I am trying to think about the future. I am hoping to get 20 or so Canadian teachers to plan to attend the next NAMLE event in Los Angeles. I am trying to build a network of Canadian teachers who can share ideas relevant to Canadian classrooms about issues around Canadian perspectives of media education.
Canadian concerns, for example, might be getting to understand Canadian laws regarding Canadian broadcasts or Canadian copyright.
We are in the shadow of the U.S., but have some differences in culture and viewpoints. I hope to help teachers of media studies classes to be able to better understand these.
What are you most excited about in the media literacy field?
When I started teaching media studies, a video camera cost about $1500. Now you can get cameras for $300. Of course, these consumer-grade cameras don’t last for ten years, as the old ones did, so ultimately, they prove to be more expensive. But having more of this technology readily available means that more students can become empowered to create.
In our schools, in our society in general, we do not encourage students to talk to other students in authentic voices and situations. We still have too many teachers who are the boss of the classroom, and not nearly enough opportunities for students to create their own messages. Digital media and especially inexpensive digital media means more students can join in the revolution and can have their own concerns raised and shared.
Twenty five years ago, we did not have the number of media theorists that we have now. It is invigorating to see media studies being applied in social studies and civics, in second language training and teaching, or in our English classes. I would bet in the last five years more academic books and articles have been published about how to teach media studies than in the previous 20 years combined. This is a sign that we – teachers, academics, society – are taking media studies, media literacy, media empowerment more seriously.
At one time, I was the only teacher in the school with a video camera. Now, nearly every classroom or academic department has some use for a video camera, and it means we are improving as teachers, as facilitators of students’ voices.
This is a challenge we have to generously embrace, not jealously guard against.
Why did you become a NAMLE member – what benefits do you see to membership and how will it support your work?
I have tried to attend a major educational conference every year since 2000. Conferences such as the one put on in Philadelphia by NAMLE or those before it in Austin, Baltimore or Toronto have helped me meet many of the fine people working in media education, and given me a stronger purpose for my efforts in the classroom.
With the Internet, we often communicate with people we hardly know. Conferences are one of the ways to meet these people in person.
I have presented at a number of conferences too. I find this keeps me sharp – there can be no tougher audience than teachers – and helps me connect with some of the best thinkers and writers in our field. I am looking forward to the next one.
Category: Features, M-Passioned Members
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