Media Literacy in the EFL Classroom - Einzelansicht

The term literacy traditionally refers to the ability to read and write. Thus, one could translate the term media literacy as the ability to read (understand) and write (produce) different forms of media. But why should that be of importance in the EFL classroom?!
As foreign language lessons aim at developing and improving pupils’ communicative competence in a foreign language, they have to provide language learners with a complex means of communicating. This definitely includes more than the use of sounds or conventional symbols, as nowadays, information is not only given through sounds, signs, pictures, body language and so on, but through an interwoven system of media messages.
That is why, communicative skills do necessarily include the ability to read different types of multimedia messages. Therefore, pupils have to be enabled to comprehend, analyse, evaluate, and produce different media messages - as well in a foreign language. Media literacy skills are included in the educational standards of Berlin-Brandenburg as well (Basiscurriculum Medienbildung). They are expected to be taught in each and every subject – as well in the EFL classroom. That is why, this seminar's participants are going to discuss ways to foster media literacy within the EFL classroom. Therefore, they are going to analyse features of different media applications based on their own experiences, skills, and beliefs in order to develop strategies to teach media literacy according to the EFL curriculum.