AML Blog

Read AML’s latest news, classroom strategies, and commentary on current issues through a media literacy lens.

Neil Andersen

Are athletes allowed to protest?

*In late summer, 2016, Colin Kaepernick, a pro football player, refused to stand during the playing of the American national anthem that began each game. His…
Neil Andersen

What’s in a (re)name?

* This is a 3-part lesson: research, discussion/presentation; and creation. Students will research the political implications of a named building, statue or highway, discuss/present their results…
Diana Maliszewski

Analyze the “New” Anthem

by Diana Maliszewski Media literacy can be most impactful when the media texts chosen for study are items that students interact with daily, often without much…
Neil Andersen

The Right to be Forgiven

*A frequent feature of 21st-century political campaigns has involved researching candidates’ online activities in hopes of finding damaging data that might be used against them.
Neil Andersen

New Teacher Fun Slide Deck

These slides (click here) were part of a presentation by AML Director Diana Maliszewski for newly-hired permanent contract teachers in the Toronto District School Board during…
Neil Andersen

Oral History & Media Messages (ENG4U)

*As an introduction to prepare students for the study of the novel Beloved, students examine oral history and identity through literature, through the use of slave…
Neil Andersen

Considerations and Questions when Using Graphic Novels in the Classroom

How knowledgeable am I as a teacher on the subject of comics? What do I need to know to be able to teach students effectively; what…
Neil Andersen

Critical Thinking: Solution or Problem?

* Recent populist political victories have caused pundits to wonder if public education has failed and democracy is at risk. Some wonder, “How can people who…
Neil Andersen

Canadaland as Witness

* Canadaland provides a compelling, ongoing struggle in trying to answer the question, “What do ‘journalism’ and ‘journalist’ mean in an always-on, omnipresent, citizen-journalist, participatory culture?”
Neil Andersen

Why does music make us cry?

* Media literacy’s great gift to society—a hallmark of the work of Marshall McLuhan and Ted Carpenter—is its willingness to take popular culture seriously; to expose…