Helping teachers to fill the gaps in their media literacy knowledge so they can better support their students.
As part of the UK’s Online Safety Act, the Government’s Office of Communications – more commonly known as Ofcom – is required to find ways to increase people’s media literacy.
One way it is doing this is by supporting teachers’ CPD, so that they have the skills and knowledge to ensure their students are aware of the issues that exist online and how to keep themselves safe.
In September 2024, Ofcom ran a survey to help it assess where further focus is needed. This covered five areas of media literacy:
- access and creation
- protection
- critical thinking
- media savvy
- digital citizenship.
Curriculum location needed
One particularly significant outcome of the survey revealed that engagement with media literacy is limited by it not being aligned to any particular part of the curriculum.
Ofcom is working on a three-year media literacy strategy and, as part of this, has pledged to work alongside educators and industries training, as well as address the gaps in provision identified by the survey.
Read more about Ofcom’s review of media literacy training for teachers
