Teachers’ Professional Development on Media and Intercultural Education. Results from some participatory research in Europe

Abstract

Media and intercultural education are being increasingly recognised as a fundamental competence for teachers of the 21st century. Digital literacy and civic competence are facing several new challenges in response to the intensification of migratory phenomena and the unprecedented spread of fake news, especially among adolescents at risk of social exclusion, but teachers’ professional development is still far from coping with this emerging need. Intercultural understanding and a critical use of media among adolescents have now become primary goals for the promotion of active citizenship. This article intends to provide some recommendations on how to support teachers’ professional development in the field of media and intercultural education. To this purpose, it presents and discusses the results of an action-research project aimed at teachers’ improvement of teaching skills about the media in multicultural public schools. The results are part of a larger European project “Media Education for Equity and Tolerance” (MEET) (Erasmus Plus, KA3), an initiative promoted in 2016–2018 by the University of Florence (Italy).

Rethinking education in the light of post-truth “new” racism and xenophobia: the need for critical intercultural media and news literacy

“…In the post-truth era, "new" racism and xenophobia have been on the rise due to populist propaganda, including the spread of biased misinformation and fake news (Giroux, 2020). What we have argued in this article, is that intercultural education needs to undergo a transformative process, gaining a critically-conscious understanding of critical media and news literacy as a lever for change for the polity and society (Ranieri et al, 2019). Arguably, intercultural education to be critical should inter alia cultivate metacognition on media use, propaganda, and populism (Shliakhovchuk, 2021).…”

“…What we argue in this article is that, in the era of new media (e.g., digital platforms and social media) propaganda, an interculturally literate citizen is an "engaged, empowered and critical news consumer" (Ashley et al, 2017, p. 81), At the same time, they may take proactive roles as citizens to reshape social reality and implement democratic principles accordingly. What we therefore suggest is that in the post-truth era, education should support critical intercultural media and news literary to contribute to the fight against "new" racism and xenophobia (i.e., Ranieri et al, 2019).…”

“…In the light of the "new" racism and xenophobia caused by post-truth threats, intercultural education gains even more resonance, and becomes an imperative need (i.e., Ranieri et al, 2019;Zembylas, 2022). As divisive narratives and stereotypes can be pervasive due to fake-news and populist nationalism, intercultural education should aim for critical intercultural literacy to help individuals gain a deeper and more critical understanding of diverse cultures, their values, and worldviews (Melo-Pfeifer and Dedecek Gertz, 2022).…”

Policy responses to false and misleading digital content

“…In this study, teachers reported low levels of digital skills and confidence teaching about the contemporary media landscape, production, messaging and participation. In the EU, Ranieri and colleagues (2017 [229]) found that the policy emphasis on both media and digital literacy had not yet resulted in sufficient levels of digital skills, and their training on digital education fails to meet teachers' needs.…”