The first two days of the program aim to: 1) Build familiarity among participants and identify expertise and areas for development. 2) Establish collaborative ways of working. 3) Provide an overview of recent changes to the media studies curriculum. 4) Familiarize participants with necessary materials. The document then outlines plans for activities involving group work, semiotics exercises, and uploading photos to the program blog. It also advertises an upcoming education plenary on the impacts of new media studies specifications introduced in the last year.

1. Aims of the first 2 days
• Getting to know each other
• Identifying expertise and areas for
development
• Setting up a way of working collaboratively
• Familiarisation with kit
• Overview of the recent changes in the media
curriculum
https://mediapgce1819.blogspot.com/

3. Bayko
• Build Something!
Haddi
Paul
Mark
Melissa
Jamie
Tony W
Simone
Albion
Malak
Gizem
Daniella
James
Andrew
Tony F

4. Group
Work
reflection
What did you learn about:
Problem solving;
Negotiating – the what
and the how;
Group
dynamics/protocols;
Roles?

5. Semiotics - Making Signs
Make up a word
Agree on a
meaning
You Just created a new ‘sign’
Word generator

6. Practical Semiotics
• 10 photos
• Upload to blog
• Don’t forget to have lunch!

7. Education Plenary:
The New Specifications
One Year On

8. How did we get
here?
From DfE:
• Educational reform – a drive towards linear qualifications that are
more demanding and knowledge based (as opposed to skills).
• A “need’ to draw clearer distinctions between Media and Film (lest
some students submit the same work for both qualifications).
• Concerns about cheating in coursework.
Exam boards:
• The challenge of covering the 9 media forms laid out by Ofqual.
• Several boxes to tick: Pre-1970s, products made for diverse
audiences, set ‘internet’ products, culturally significant media
products and films (Hollywood Era, Silent).
• The introduction of set theorists, chosen by Ofqual’s subject specialist
Follow it up:
David Buckingham: The Strangulation of Media Studies
Steve Connolly: Media in a cold climate, MEA report www.mea.org.uk
MEA teachmeet, July 12th, English and Media Centre

9. 4 Key areas or concern
• Amount of Content and Prescribed texts
• Lack of supporting materials
• Coursework – time vs. credit, reduced
skills
• Identity and integrity of the subject

10. Attack on subject Identity
• Difficult for lower ability students – migrating to vocational
courses
• Significant drop off means the subject is more vulnerable
(currently there’s enough take up for it to be a lucrative
qualification). Jobs are also vulnerable.
• Has become more ‘traditional’ – students consuming their
education rather than taking an active role in it.
• Increased “demand” is actually just an increase in facts and
information to be memorised. More genuinely demanding
aspects have gone.
• Attempts to make Media academic are stripping it of some of
it’s most significant qualities
• “The very essence and heart of the subject has been ripped
out due to Govian reforms”

11. Positives
• Something about the new frameworks is working
for our students. Most of us feel students have a
better or broader understanding (53% media, 67%
film)
• Spiral curriculum – keep coming back to key
concepts (especially conglomerates, ownership,
regulation)
• Students seem to be engaged albeit not as
engaged as pervious cohorts.
• Many students none the wiser – important to put a
positive spin on it.
• More time to spend on theorists (?)

12. PGCE Top Trumps
• You must have only 1 that’s lower than
10% and at east one that’s higher than
80%
• Discuss with your partner as you make
your decisions – the thinking out loud is as
much the part of the process

13. doing, reflecting, evaluating

14. Homework – My Media Identity
Media Identity Task
By Wednesday 19th, prepare something about
your ‘media identity’. You can use any form you
wish and it doesn’t need to be fancy or
professional!
It might be:
A mixtape of music or sounds that matter to you
A collage of media images which in some way
contributes to your identity
A mashup video of film, TV or online material
that expresses something about you
Or anything else!
Upload it or link it to the blog.
Be prepared to talk about it on Wednesday 19th
in the afternoon.