This document summarizes media literacy in Portugal. It defines media literacy and outlines the current situation in schools, which do not have dedicated media literacy curriculum. It then highlights best practices, including booklets, partnerships with organizations, research projects, initiatives like conferences, and the Braga Declaration which established priorities like fostering relationships between organizations to disseminate information on media education. It also describes plans for a Media Literacy Observatory online guide.

1. Fábio Ribeiro
MediaED Lab
Training course
7-16 May 2012 | Riga, Bernati, Latvia

2. Media literacy: how is it defined?
CONTEXT
A dominant concern all over Europe, starting from the 90’s;
Group of skills and competences that citizens are able to
develop so that they can learn how media culture is
presented to the society.
«Media literacy is a matter of inclusion and citizenship in the
today’s information society, in order to avoid or decrease the
risks associated with life in common»
1. Access to information and communication;
2. Critical understanding of the world;
3. Creative use of media in terms of an active citizenship.

3. Current situation
There is no school curriculum specially dedicated to
MEDIA LITERACY. Politicians seem to drive their attention
to students’ digital competences.
2001
reorganization of the curricula: Education for the Citizenship;
Information and Communication Technologies; Project Area; Civic
Education; Accompanied Study – secondary level ;
2012
Information and Communication Technologies will be excluded of
the school curricula. ‘Children do not need to learn how to work
with computers, because they already know the basic
skills’, Education Minister said.

4. Best practices - booklets
Media Education in Booklets
free download.

5. Best practices - partnerships
Informal Group on Media Literacy
and Information Society - 2009
National Commission of UNESCO
National Council for the Education
The (state) media regulatory entity/ The Portuguese media regulator
Bureau for the Mass Media Communication
Ministry of Education
Agency for the Knowledge Society
Communication & Society Research Centre

6. Best practices - Research projects
Participation and digital inclusion
EU Kids Online Navigating with ‘Magalhães’
PhD thesis in Media Education
Perspectives on digital literacy in the public politics:
the case of the Educational and technological Plan: link.

7. Best practices - Research projects
Media Education in Portugal:
experiences, actors and contexts
A portrait of media education activities across the country, a
critical overlook into the most significant ones and the ones that
are missing. Free download available here.

8. Best practices - initiatives
1st Congress of Literacy, Media and Citizenship
Braga, March 2011
A forum of discussion among 300 researchers, media educators,
government officials, teachers, theatre clubs, libraries, students.
Important output: the Braga Declaration for Media Literacy 2011.
Available here.

9. Best practices - Braga Declaration 2011
1 – fostering the relationship between organizations and creating
action programmes to disseminate information towards media
education;
2 – establishing local, national and international partnerships;
3 – promoting a deeper knowledge of the Portuguese reality in this
field by enhancing research projects in this area;
4 – strengthening the ties among teachers and other media
professionals, trying to explain how letting people learn with mass
media is a matter of citizenship;

10. Best practices - Braga Declaration 2011
5 – exploring the connection between media literacy and school
curricula, based upon an up-to-date framework of how media are
build nowadays;
6 – developing accountability and participation among citizens, in a
close relationship with the state regulator;
7 – organizing national meetings to raise discussion of the present
conditions in social life that can promote this area of studies;
8 – creating a Media Literacy Observatory.

11. Best practices - Media Literacy Observatory
An online guide towards Media Education:
- A theoretical overview of Media Literacy;
- Political framework;
- Best practices report;
- Formation suggestions;
- (...).
Check it here (still in preparation)

12. This presentation was prepared within framework of the international training course ’’MediaED Lab’’. 8-days training course
"MediaED LAB" took place from 07.05.2012 to 16.05.2012 and connected 26 young professionals who are working to advance
media literacy among youth - the ability to interpret, understand and evaluate media and its messages and to produce media
content. "MediaED LAB" aims to create critical, knowledgeable and responsible leaders of creative and media education, capable of
initiating, developing and embedding new understandings and techniques in their learning space. Information about state of media
education in different European countries was shared and participants learnt and exchanged methods, tools and strategies that can
be used to develop and implement media literacy workshops and courses for pupils, the most vulnerable consumers of media.
Project took place in Latvia and involved non-governmental organizations working in the field of media education from Slovakia,
Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Slovenia and France.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This presentation reflects the views only of the author,
and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.