LITERACY PROBLEMS WITHIN SKILL SOLUTIONS

Abstract

This discussion of education and media questions the assumptions made about types of literacy and their reproduction in journalism practice classes. The first part concerns the idea of “skills” in communication. Are “skills” classrooms becoming “de-skilled” themselves, as important critical questions are decided from above and removed from the active classroom? Secondly, is there a way of re-conceiving literacy that can respond to this problem, a literacy that goes beyond communication “skills” into developing critical reflective practitioners? Examples from a classroom ethnographic study are included.

Keywords:

• critical theory
• education
• journalism
• media ecology
• media literacy
• pedagogy