Articles
China and Media Education: Cautious Optimism
October 1, 2004
by Barry Duncan
China, the sleeping giant so much in the news, is finally opening its door to media education. I was privileged to be one of four westerners invited to attend the first media education conference October 5-15 which took place in Beijing (The others were David Buckingham, ( UK) , Wendy Earle( UK), Lee Rother, Montreal and myself).
We heard and discussed numerous papers at the conference and visited elementary and secondary schools in Beijing- model schools where every kid had a laptop. The Chinese are now receptive to the basic goals of media literacy. They are, however, starting from scratch. They lack teacher training, professional organizations at the grass roots level, guidelines and textbooks. Fortunately, the authorities are favouring a less rigid school curriculum and realize that media literacy will promote a more interactive, socially relevant classroom which will foster much needed critical thinking skills This project will not be easy.
The hospitality of the Chinese was outstanding and the warmth of the participants was palpable. During our ten days we were able to visit the summer palaces, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City and the Great Wall and have some terrific dinners. At the closing banquet, I had the amazing experience of interviewing and debating with an elderly, mild mannered man presently a professor of communications who had been Minister of Information under Chairman Mao. Enough said. Read between the lines for
Hidden messages!