Teaching Critical Thinking: Media Literacy and Document-Based Historical Inquiry

10/17/23 • 34 min

Arming students with critical thinking skills is essential in this digital era when screen time dominates and the dissemination of information (and misinformation) is constant. But how, exactly, do we do that?

In this episode of the Educator’s Playbook podcast, host Kimberly McGlonn taps into two experts to help empower K-12 students and educators to discern, analyze, and evaluate content and information in a never-ending news cycle.

She speaks first with Megan Fromm of the National Association for Media Literacy Education, an organization at the forefront of raising awareness about the importance of media literacy. Together, they unravel some of the complexities around teaching students to view the digital landscape through a critical lens until dissecting and discerning the content they encounter becomes reflexive. Then Kimberly is joined by #PennGSE associate professor Abby Reisman, who provides additional insight and effective strategies for instilling these essential skills in students. Abby focuses on document-based historical inquiry, a way of studying history where you look at original documents, like letters, diaries or newspaper articles from the past, to better understand and explore historical events and the people involved in them.

This episode is a deep dive into the intersection of education, critical thinking and the digital world, offering educators tangible strategies and insights to empower the next generation of critical thinkers.

GUESTS:

Megan Fromm, Education Manager, National Association for Media Literacy Education
Abby Reisman, Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education

NEWSLETTER:

Subscribe to the Educator's Playbook newsletter for ongoing resources and content

RELATED PLAYBOOKS:

No. 49: How to make the most of teaching history online
No. 13: Teaching students to think like historians

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)
News Literacy Project
Project Look Sharp
Media Education Lab at the University of Rhode Island
Stanford History Education Group
History-Social Science Project at UC Berkeley
UCLA History-Geography Project, part of the California History Social Science Project

GUESTS:

Megan Fromm, Education Manager, National Association for Media Literacy Education
Abby Reisman, Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education

NEWSLETTER:

Subscribe to the Educator's Playbook newsletter for ongoing resources and content

RELATED PLAYBOOKS:

No. 49: How to make the most of teaching history online
No. 13: Teaching students to think like historians

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)
News Literacy Project
Project Look Sharp
Media Education Lab at the University of Rhode Island
Stanford History Education Group
History-Social Science Project at UC Berkeley
UCLA History-Geography Project, part of the California History Social Science Project

Previous Episode

Culture Wars: Politicization and Polarization in the Classroom

Hosted by seasoned educator Kimberly McGlonn, this episode takes a deep dive into the widening ideological and cultural divides impacting K-12 education. As schools find themselves at the epicenter of debates surrounding issues like race, gender and sexual orientation, educators must grapple with the challenges of a rapidly politicized classroom environment. We're joined by leading education historian and Penn GSE professor Jonathan Zimmerman, author of "Whose America?: Culture Wars in the Public Classroom." He provides valuable insights into the shifting ideological landscape since the book's first publication in 2002 and gives us some historical context for censorship, politicization and polarization. Then, professor of practice and former superintendent Andrea Kane sheds further light on the real-life implications of these culture wars for educators, students and communities, sharing some of her experiences on the front lines over the years. Tune in for a candid discussion on navigating these complex issues in today's educational setting.

FEATURING:

Jonathan Zimmerman, Professor, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Andrea Kane, Professor of Practice, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education

NEWSLETTER:

Subscribe to the Educator's Playbook newsletter for ongoing resources and content

RELATED PLAYBOOKS:

No. 69: Explaining war to children: 6 tips from a Penn GSE expert (02-25-22)
No. 64: How to be a good parent and a good ally (06-10-21)
No. 63: How to get even better at supporting your LGBTQ+ students (06-08-21)
No. 58: How teachers can talk about violence at the Capitol (01-07-21)
No. 39: Putting Black history lessons into action (02-05-20)
No. 17: How to confront hate speech at school (11-17-16)
No. 7: Responding to anti-Muslim rhetoric (02-04-16)
No. 5: Treating racial competence as a skill to be learned (02-03-16)

OTHER RESOURCES:

New books from Penn GSE professors focus on free speech on campus (02-15-23)
School censorship is not democratic. Speaking up is the solution from the Philadelphia Inquirer (05-30-23)
Jonathan Zimmerman: Do we really want discussion in our schools? Book censorship indicates otherwise from the Chicago Tribune (05-15-23)
Penn GSE alumni event focuses on free speech in education (12-13-22)

Educator's Playbook - Teaching Critical Thinking: Media Literacy and Document-Based Historical Inquiry

Transcript

Abby Reisman (00:00):

What's salient? What's the story? What's the question you're asking?

Kimberly McGlonn (00:05):

This is the Educator's Playbook from the Penn Graduate School of Education. As educators, we know our jobs are to help prepare our students for the real world, to help give them the knowledge and the skills to apply that knowledge when they leave our classrooms. It's estimated that the average American spends seven hours and 11 minutes a day looking at a scr