Media Studies

Media Studies is the study of Media texts. These days, media plays an integral part in society. It helps to shape our understanding of the world and can have a massive impact of the way we perceive things. It provides a way of expression as well as communication. Contemporary Media and its global impact means that the importance of it will only continue to grow.

It is an important subject as it allows students to understand the nature of media and the ability to question and debate the questions that surround it. This is especially important in a day and age where media plays a huge part in our everyday lives. Media Studies allows students to examine the representations, viewpoints and messages offered in the media and how they shape our insights and opinions. This makes it hugely relevant in today’s society. It also helps students to understand the nature of representations and build an awareness that not everything we see is not necessarily ‘real’ which can play a massive part in promoting positive mental health. Furthermore, Media Studies as a subject helps to teach students to be aware of the world we live in.

Through Media Studies, students gain an insight into how media works, how it has evolved and how it has become the force it is today. It allows students to build on their own knowledge of media by studying texts they may be familiar with but also gives them the chance to explore texts that will be less familiar and therefore widening their breadth of knowledge. In addition to this, students are able to learn to apply theory to their work which helps to prepare them for further education. Media Studies enables learners to:

• Recognise the cross-media, multi-platform, fluid nature of the contemporary media and the centrality of online and social media platforms in distributing, accessing and participating in the media – this is done through studying each set text through the four key areas of media language, representation, audience and industry. Students learn how set products create meaning, target audiences and are distributed. For example students study the convergence of music, music video, website and links to social media in Component 2.
• Demonstrate skills of enquiry, critical thinking, decision-making and analysis by discussing ideas and reflecting upon media products, their contexts and making reasoned judgements about these
• Build on essay writing skills through learning how to approach exam questions which require students to use analytical and comparative skills.
• Acquire knowledge and understanding of a range of important media issues through study of industry and audience in both components such as how regulation affects products and how new digital technology impacts media through set product study
• Develop appreciation and critical understanding of the media and their role both historically and currently in society, culture and politics through the study of set texts for example, many issues are addressed in media products that reflect current concerns in society (e.g. the issue of body image in magazines, domestic abuse in The Archers, immigration in the set newspapers).
• Understand and apply specialist subject-specific terminology to analyse and compare media products and the contexts in which they are produced and consumed in order to make informed arguments, reach substantiated judgements and draw conclusions about media issues For example students learn how historical context of a product can influence the ways in which representations are constructed (and interpreted). A specific example being the historical adverts which construct representations of gender that reflect the society and culture in which they were produced which many would object to today
• Appreciate how theoretical understanding supports practice and practice supports theoretical understanding by studying and learning media theory and applying this to the products studied across both components
• Develop practical and organisation skills by providing opportunities for creative media production through the controlled assessment which requires students to research and apply knowledge and understanding in order to produce part of their own media product for a specific audience through a set brief within a time limit

 

Teaching and Learning

Media Studies supports all school wide behaviour for learning practices in our lessons. Positive rewards are used to encourage positive behaviour for learning.

Media Studies shares Judgemeadow’s effective teaching (including Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction) and learning strategies (including the work of learning scientists) and promotes literacy. Oracy is encouraged and students are given opportunities to share their opinions through paired and group discussion as well as answering questions in Standard English.

The subject is taught in four main areas of the Media theoretical framework. These are Media Language, Representation, Audience and Industry using both Media specific vocabulary and high frequency language which links closely to the vocabulary used in English. Lessons encourage students to use terminology frequently through the use of key words which students highlight in their work. Knowledge organisers also include media specific terminology. Area for development: Tier 2 and Tier 3 display/ reference points.

EFFECTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES

• Retrieval practice: Retrieval practice is built into schemes for each set text to gauge prior learning as well as current learning. As the year progresses and students cover more set texts, starters including more set texts will be used – these will be designed to retrieve knowledge from prior learning throughout the year/course and will be created to fit the ‘5 a day’ style which has already been adopted by English.
• Interleaving and spaced practice: Interleaving is used through starters, retrieval practice, homework or activities that are based on prior learning topics. Links are made to prior learning through the products taught.
• Elaboration: This is promoted through questioning and formative assessment.
• Dual coding: Dual coding is used to teach processes but is an area for development.

EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES

• Concrete examples/modelling and scaffolding: Concrete examples are embedded into schemes for set texts in order to model exam responses for students. Resources also provide sentence starters and key words as well as a challenge to help students build and develop their exam answers.
• Guided practice: Students are regularly given a chance to practice tasks with input from the teacher through discussion and formative assessment.
• Questioning and no opt out: Regular questioning is used in lessons to identify gaps in knowledge. Where a student does not know the answer the student is asked to repeat it or put it into their own words. Students are used to being ‘cold called’ on to answer questions.
• Feedback: Media studies follows Judgemeadow’s policy of a form of feedback every six lessons and provides written, verbal and whole class feedback regularly

 

curriculum overview

	Year 9 and 10 (Current Year 1 of GCSE)	Year 10 (Current Year 2 of GCSE)	Plan for Next Year’s (Year 2)
Autumn	Introductory Media - Nature and social impact of new media - Media language: terms and analysis - Stereotypes and Representation   Set texts – ML and Rep - Print Advertising: TGC and QS - Film Posters: TWTGG and Spectr	Controlled assessment Then set as h/w   Industry and Audience - Fortnite   Revision   MOCKS: summative paper 1(students to revise)   Industry and Audience - The Sun	Controlled assessment Then set as h/w   Industry and Audience - The Sun   Revision   MOCKS: summative paper 1(students to revise)   The Archers
Spring	Industry and Audience - Spectre - Fortnite   Set texts – ML and Rep - Magazines (Pride and GQ)	The Archers   Crime Drama - Luther and Sweeney   Music - Taylor Swift   Mock Paper 2	Crime Drama - Luther and Sweeney   Music - Taylor Swift & Justin Bieber Online presence for both artists   Mock Paper 2
Summer	Newspapers - Sun and Guardian   Introduction to Controlled Assessment	Music - Justin Bieber   Music online presence for both artists   Revision	Music online presence for both artists   Revision