Nestled at the bottom of the globe and far distant from Asia, but increasingly aligned with countries such South Korea, Japan and the People’s Republic of China through trade, tourism and immigration, New Zealand is acutely aware of its place on the periphery, and its shared interests in the Asia-Pacific rim.
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Notes
- 1.
At www.medialiteracy.org/reading_room/article118.htmlwww.medialiteracy.org/reading_room/article118.html. accessed 6 March 2008.
- 2.
Figures from www.bfi.org.uk/education/research/teaclearn/stats.html, accessed 6 October 2007.
- 3.
The New Zealand school system (a mixture of state-funded and private schools) is divided into three stages of schooling: all children begin primary school when they turn 5 and remain there until they turn 10 or 11. Many then go on to two years at intermediate schools, and then begin their secondary (or high) schooling at age 13. They can spend up to five years in secondary schooling (Years 9 to 13), before going on to tertiary education (university or polytechnic), or joining the workforce.
- 4.
New Zealand secondary schools have experienced eight years of Media Studies (Unit Standards) and five years of Media Studies (Achievement Standards), within the NCEA framework. Unit Standards, which have a more vocational-skills emphasis, are now less frequently taught, as they only provide for Achieved/Not Achieved assessment. Achievement Standards provide a different set of achievement objectives, in that they offer Excellence/Merit/Achieved/Not Achieved options.
- 5.
It is important to draw distinctions between the uses of various concepts used here, despite the tendency to use them interchangeably. Media education means the teaching of media elements within long-established curriculum, such as teaching about the aesthetics and purpose of advertising (print advertising; television advertising) within English. Media Studies is a stand-alone subject area (and is usually capitalized), drawing on disciplines such as Sociology, Literary Theory and Political Science but having developed its own content, interpretative tools and focus. It can include, for example, the investigation of media forms such as film, television, computer games, the internet, news media and so on. There is considerable attention to media texts but as much attention is paid to systems of production, distribution and consumption. Media literacy is a term of more recent vintage (with North American origins), primarily used by policy-makers (such as Ofcom in the United Kingdom) in their efforts to encourage higher levels of awareness and knowledge about newer and older media, in the broad citizenry. However, it is increasingly coming to be equivalent to media education but indicates educational initiatives that do not always have to occur within formal settings.I have used media teaching, in this chapter, as a short-hand term that can include all of these possible approaches.
- 6.
Because students are able to take a mix of Level Two and Three Media Studies Achievement Standards, as part of their overall NCEA portfolio, these figures do not necessarily equate to student numbers – except in the case of Scholarship, which is the highest level of assessment available in secondary schools. In 2006, 303 academically-inclined sat Media Studies Scholarship, and 63 Scholarships were awarded. (Figures supplied by the Qualifications Division of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, November 2007).
- 7.
From nzcuuriculum.tki.org.nz/the_new_zealand_curriculum/learning_areas The Ministry, in 2008, is consulting subject area associations (including NAME) about issues concerning ‘alignment’ of subjects such as Media Studies within the new framework. This consultation process is funded by the Ministry.
- 8.
- 9.
I can point to at least ten current Media Studies teachers in New Zealand, who have taken this route through Screen and Media Studies at the University of Waikato.
- 10.
Beacon schools are identified as a school of current or potential leadership ability, or ‘centres of excellence’ with skilled Media Studies teachers involved in developing teaching materials, as well as offering advice and support to newer teachers.
- 11.
Two Australian texts by Stewart, Lavelle & Kowaltzke (2001), Media and Meaning: An Introduction, and Stewart and Kowaltzke (2008), Media, New Ways and Meaning are particular favourites.
- 12.
See, for example, Geoff Lealand and Helen Martin (2001), It’s all done with mirrors: about television (Dunmore Press, 2001), Roger Horrocks & Nick Perry, eds., Television in New Zealand Programming the Nation (Oxford University Press), Goode and Zuberi, eds., Media Studies in New Zealand (Pearson Education, 2004), Terry Jones and Deborah Thompson, Year 12 Media Studies Study Guide NCEA Level 2 (ESA Publications, 2007), and Sandra Chesterman, Media Studies Year 13 NCEA Level 3 (Thomson New House, 2007).
- 13.
A fitful list-serve does serve to send notices and news around a subscription base of New Zealand media academics.
- 14.
In a recent survey (Lealand, 2007), both teachers and academics acknowledged this. Virtually all (30) academics regarded the level of cooperation and understanding as inadequate, whilst most teachers indicated they did not know enough about what happened in tertiary media teaching. Nevertheless, nearly all were interested in finding out more.
- 15.
See, for example, their July 2007 review of the literature Media Literacy Information in New Zealand: A comparative Assessment of Current Data in Relation to Adults, available at www.bsa.govt.nz/publications-booksandreports.php The BSA is also a major sponsor of the parent resource site www.mediascape.ac.nz.
References
Horrocks, R. (2007), Media teaching in New Zealand: sketching out a history, Script 66, April, pp. 4–18.
Lealand, G. (2007), A common cause? Media teaching in the secondary and tertiary sectors in New Zealand, Script 66, April, pp. 22–31.
Martin, H. (1994), Critical media studies: A teacher handbook. Auckland: Media Studies Fellowship.
McCrone, J. (2008), Tomorrow’s schools, Waikato Times, March 24, E6.
Pungente, J. (n.d.), Criteria for a successful media education program, www.medialiteracy.org/reading_room/article118.html.
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Lealand, G. (2009). A Success Story: Media Teaching in New Zealand. In: Cheung, CK. (eds) Media Education in Asia. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9529-0_5
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