Edward Henry is a Global History & Social Sciences Teacher at Beaver Country Day School
What do you do?
I teach US & World History, Media & Current Events, & World Governments by day. By night – I teach general Social Science & Comparative Politics to healthcare undergraduate students.
Tell us about your latest work or project in media literacy.
Current events is a regular part of my practice, I want to go deeper with it – part of why I joined NAMLE. Recently (Today actually!)(as I write this) – I ran a current events activity with the students on the events in Syria (overthrow of Assad) as an intro to our lesson on Yellow Journalism during the Spanish-American War. The students looked for “facts” as well as language used in various articles. The students discussed what emotions or reactions different phrasing attempts to invoke. I divided the students into: social media sources only, US news only, or non-US news only. I’ve been experimenting with students using social media as a news source and I am always so pleased with the engagement (& excitement) of the students.
Why is media literacy important to you?
Each year, students have more and more of the world at their finger tips; often bombarded with information day and night. What my teachers would ask that we remember…students can find with a quick Google. At the start of each new class, I tell the students that they will fairly quickly figure out my bias…but my goal is not to teach my bias, instead to teach investigation and inquiry, to encourage wonder and curiosity. Media Literacy is one avenue to meet such goals while meeting students where they are (in a realm they want to learn more about).
What are you most excited about in the media literacy field?
Hm. Experimenting with different methods to explore current events with students, particularly through social media & non-US news sources. Discussing and examining the changes (disappearances) in local media – what role can students play in filling the gap from the disappearance of local media?
Why did you become a NAMLE member, what benefits do you see to membership, and how will it support your work?
I joined for the interdisciplinary community of educators and researchers: try new ideas, brainstorm, & support. It is a difficult time for teachers, especially in the social sciences. We are stronger together.
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