In at the Deep End: Finding Media/Film on your Timetable
We all wait with baited breath for that week at the start of July when the timetables are released. It's an unenviable job and I am glad I don't have any major part in the process. SIMS is fired up and you scroll to the start of the new academic year and...yes! You kept your lovely Y7s and you have that Y10 class that everyone has been raving about and...what's that? Media?! (or Film, but for the purposes of this post I am referring to both under 'Media' most of the time).
But that's not right! You are an English teacher, or History or IT or Business etc. You are not a Media teacher. So why has this abomination shown up on your timetable? And with (checks calendar) two weeks before the end of term, when exactly are you going to get your head around the copious material? After all, the guidance for teaching is...212 pages long?! But at least you can liaise with the other people who teach the...oh. No. There is no one else. Goodbye, summer.
This may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but it is a position a lot of teachers find themselves in. Media Studies is a strange subject when it comes to the neat little subject area boxes, because it is so ubiquitous in content and skill. As such, teachers from all over the curriculum may find themselves with a sneaky little Media hour here and there on their timetable. This issue with this is that, even though it can link to many other subjects, that doesn't mean a teacher of that subject can just pick it up and teach it. There is a reason that Media degrees exist, and the content covered at A Level is comparable to some of that higher study. It's very much a discipline in its own right, and it's not easy. And yet, the overriding assumption is that teachers can just pick it up and teach it without pausing for breath.
(N.B. I know lots of schools are very supportive and this is not a reflection on them. This is simply an observation on comments and anecdotes from other Media educators).
Now, that's not to say that teachers of other subjects cannot teach it - of course they can and they do very well. The assumption that it will be simple and require very little work or CPD is the problem. Sending a teacher to an exam board sessions for a day and then assuming that's it is not enough. I know that CPD time is an issue across the board with schools, and that is a discussion for another day, but the disparity between what the qualification asks for and the preparation time or support given is concerning, because it belies a fundamental misunderstanding of the qualification that undermines its value.
I have experienced this myself in the past: I am a Film graduate, though a lot of my research and work was linked heavily with English Literature (screenwriting and film adaptation of classic literature). I then completed an English secondary teaching qualification, and attended Masters lectures in English Literature for my training year as part of the PTI. As a trainee, I was allowed to teach Film and Media GCSE and A Level without a second thought. I had a little guidance as to what to cover in my lessons, but I was pretty much let loose on these unsuspecting sixth formers. I spent a long time looking up specs and guidance and seeing what other teachers had used to teach concepts and theories I had studied as late as my second year of university. It was tough going. However, before I was allowed anywhere near a GCSE Literature class, I observed another teacher for close to three months, I had to show I had read and annotated the texts they were studying, I had to complete exam questions to show I knew what was expected of students and all my resources and lessons were scrutinised meticulously. I was qualified at this point, and had taught an English Literature class during my training. I was observed with a Lit class for my final assessment. My teacher training was for English. I am trained to teach, above all else, English. And yet, I was still last in line to have opinions heard, ideas considered and knowledge validated because I was a 'non specialist'. I was encouraged to consider teaching RE and History because I had 'transferable skills'. It was clear that my degree, despite not being a barrier to me getting into a very competitive teacher training programme and teaching in some very prestigious schools, was a sticking point. And it is the same with the school level qualifications.
I could talk about this a lot, and it formed the basis of my provocation at the What Could Media Studies Be? conference. But, in short, academia loves the antiquated, and the contemporary study of pop culture and mass media is seen as less valid by some traditionalists. Quite often, you will find these traditionalists in dusty corners of schools and colleges. The frustrating thing is you will also find these people in places of power in government, and those people making sweeping statements damage the reputation of subjects like Media faster than we can repair it. But I digress. This is another post's rant. Hmph.
I am in a very different position now, thank goodness, but there are many teachers who are not. It's tough going to have a subject thrown at you with no idea of what it might look like in a classroom or even as a conceptual framework, and the guidance for teaching, comprehensive though it is, is daunting and is clearly written by people who have been in the Media biz for a while. The assumed knowledge and jargon in places is something that I took a while to understand, even with a degree under my belt. Now, I'm not saying that either of the approaches I have experienced with my teaching in the past are right, but a happy medium of support and understanding of the undertaking, as well as space to allow for individualistic teaching stylea nd development, is key to fostering a happy workforce. If I was given a new subject to teach with no support and a massive booklet to tread through, I would chunk the booklet up, photocopy it, rebrand it and hand it out to the kids for each topic. This, in my head, would take the pressure off me because I know they are getting exactly what the exam board needs to know, so if I forget to mention a theorist or a key term or date or something amongst the plethora of essential information then it's covered, right? The thing is, this takes all the joy and excitement out of the subject and means death by booklet. So the pressure may be off, but the boredom for teacher and student sets in. And bored is the last thing a Media student should be.
This is the issue. But the days are getting lighter and the air is getting warmer and the flowers are starting to bloom. And we don't need another rant with no solution. We need happiness! So, without further ado, this is what I would do (and have done) if I had never laid eyes on the hallowed texts of Media Studies and suddenly found myself blessed with such an honour. Is this comprehensive? No. Is this perfect? No. But, from what I can gather from my own awesome team of Media educators, these steps helped them feel supported without being stifled and gave them confidence to teach and enjoy the subject.
1. Understand that you have something to give
This is important no matter how experienced you are. Everyone has something to bring to the table, and more recently qualified staff have the benefit of being aware of more up-to-date research and findings. This knowledge and experience is just as valid in the context of Media Studies. A good middle leader will make it clear that they are open and willing to learn from you, as you are from them. This forms a bedrock of mutual respect and confidence. I have experienced schools where this is the case with middle leaders and where this is not. The former always makes me work harder and feel more valued, and gives me the confidence to share ideas and to not be fearful of a reprimand or worse if the idea doesn't pan out or isn't used by others.
This is something that should be considered and maintained constantly. For example, a teacher may join the team to teach film and have not seen 'Citizen Kane', or have joined the Media team and not know who Cambridge Analytica are or not seen 'Blurred Lines' or 'Formation'. So what? I spent three years studying Film and I haven't seen a lot of films described as 'must see', because being qualified to teach something isn't the same as being an undisputed universal expert. We all have specialisms and penchants for particular areas, and that's what makes sharing expertise so great. Your media habits are relevant and worth a discussion in the context of Media, whatever they may be (even Youtube and its never-ending stream of cat videos has a place). Having the confidence to join in with these conversations can be the starting point of you broadening your horizons, which is beneficial for everyone as lifelong learners. Dismissing things as 'not worthy' in Media is simply an invalid response. From a subject that gets a fair share of that response from others, it's important we don't do it in our own ranks.
2. Keep it bite-sized
Teachers are busy, and all the working memory and cognitive load research we delve into, and quote so happily from, applies to us as practitioners too.
As a subject taught by many 'non-specialist' teachers (for want of a better name, as I do loathe the phrase), there are a lot of resources and guides out there to help. The thing is, they all are applicable to different exam boards, cover different levels of different topics and apply to different case studies. This is no different to any subject, except that Media is dense. Anyone who teaches it will tell you it's hard going to get all the content covered, even once you are familiar with it. As such, the materials available are vast and can easily be overwhelming. My advice? Start with the course overview, then stop. Look at the texts yourselves with no notes or guides. Then stop. Then look at introduction resources: key concepts, terminology etc. Then stop. Then look at materials for the first text for study. Break it up like this and take it slow. Ask for gain time allocation for it. Ask to sit down with the department head who can give you the skeletal basics of what you need and help prioritise things. If you are teaching A Level, find out early what side of the course you are teaching and leave learning the other side for another time. This is a big undertaking, and pacing it will stop it from becoming a source of stress or discontent. I have a couple of exercise books full of notes that I took when I found myself teaching Media (I asked/begged for it though, so I was destined to be a bit of a geek about it). This, of course, is dependent on some time allocation, so will not be possible for everyone. Hopefully, your school will see how this will benefit staff expertise and, if they can, allow it.
3. Explore the wider community
As mentioned, due to the organisational nature of Media, there are amazing resources and support networks online. These are easy wins and worth checking out:
Eduqas Media Studies Teacher Group - a group with a range of amazing resources and outstanding support covering the Eduqas board
Media Studies Teachers UK - another group with great support covering all exam boards
WJEC Media Studies Group - a WJEC (Wales) specific group with resources and support
Eduqas Film Studies Teachers - A great group with resources, support and advice for anyone teaching Film at GCSE or A Level
@mediaeduchat - weekly chat amongst Media and Film educators ion a range of topics. Useful to look at and follow who is following this account, as they are most likely Media departments or educators.
Online
The MEA - the Media Education Association provides support, guidance and events for Media educators. It's free to join and has really useful links, resources and advice
Media Magazine - an invaluable subscription for Media and Film students, encouraging wider reading and enrichment. Articles are written by students, teachers and academics in the field, and cover set texts and beyond
Mrs Fisher Media Videos - a great starting point for Media theories and set texts for Eduqas, but with wider use and appeal as well. Fantastic for revision resources and to familiarise yourself with a theory before teaching.
GCSE Media Revision - Excellent Youtube resources focusing on Eduqas/WJEC
The Media Insider with Mr Hunter - more excellent Youtube videos and concepts explored, with some practical guidance too
Exam board websites - all contain specifications, past papers etc. but also a guidance for teaching which is invaluable to anyone starting out. I used mine like a Bible the first year I taught the A Level
Books
Essential Media Theory For A Level - this is a MUST HAVE. Theory is the bit that most teachers new to the subject find challenging, and this book breaks them down really well. It's also worth recommending to students as a course purchase.
The Media Student's Book (5th ed) - a great book for all aspects of Media. All schools should have a copy
Textbooks/revision guides I have attached the WJEC/Eduqas books, but any relevant to your exam board are worth a look
4. Regularly check in
Some people will not be comfortable with this, and that's OK. This also very much relies on that bedrock of mutual respect and the idea of no judgement between us as teachers. I am very lucky, in that I know, hand on heart, that anyone who teaches Media at our school does it with maximum effort, enthusiasm and expertise available to them. I, therefore, welcome and advocate a very much open door policy (unless a screening is going on, because students hearing muffled Avengers through the corridors is not conducive to Further Maths teaching. Or so I've been told).
Anyone is welcome into my room when I teach Media to see what students are doing. These are not all 'zippy' lessons, but that's not the point. Every discussion students have is unique, so there is always an opportunity to glean something new. We also all teach in very different ways, so having the chance to see how someone else tackles topics is great CPD. It's tricky sometimes with timetable clashes, so I have an open invitation as subject leader (so a little more timetable flexibility) to cover someone so they can observe someone else. I also will drop in and get involved. The focus is non-judgemental and positive comments are always encouraged to share between peers to encourage confidence, which is the only thing lacking with our lot, really! This is, of course, tricky to do in our current situation, but it is something I wish to return to.
Something else I have done and encourage anyone to do is to complete exam questions. Sure, the first time I was asked to do this for English Lit was a little galling, but it was under a guise of compulsory tasking and judgemental outcome. This is different, and entirely for personal improvement. I brought essays I completed along to CPD sessions to ask people to have a look and get an opinion. I have also shared essays and responses with peers and pretended they are a student's work to get more unbridled feedback. I have found it really useful to see the demands on our students in terms of timing and quality. I know lots of teachers will have a go at this if they run in class timed responses -they will write along with students. These don't need to be shared with anyone else, but the process itself can be really valuable.
5. Enjoy it!
Media is awesome. Ask anyone who teaches it. Even if they have been thrown in at the deep end and they find it super stressful and the pressure keeps them up at night, one thing they will not deny is the appeal, relevance and rigour of the subject. It picks apart life as we know it and looks at the inner workings of humans and society. It's a unique subject because new content emerges every second of every day, and quite often you are not the expert in the room. You will teach social media sensations, gaming experts, music video curators...the list goes on. Students can bring their own experiences to the table in a way that is simply not seen in other subjects, and can make for magical discussion. You, as the teacher, can shape that to explore media theory and concepts according to your exam board. Yes, there are set texts and exam practice questions and all of that very important stuff. Just don't let the qualification get in the way of the education, as Claire Pollard said. Let those individual experiences take the stage and let students attempt to apply academic Media concepts to their own lives, and this will only help their confidence when they come to approach the dreaded set texts.
Media is a rigorous and intense subject to be dropped into. If that's you, know we are all here for you - just shout! But also know this: Media is a phenomenal opportunity to explore the world around us, to use skills from multiple disciplines and explore new aspects of popular culture. It's valid and is worthy of time and resources from your school. and you are within your right to ask for them. It's also amazing. Enjoy it. And good luck!