Conceptual Framework for Media Education

By Chris Worsnop

Media Image	Questions to Ask
Industry	Who's in charge? What do they want of me, and why? What else do they want? HOW DO I KNOW?
Product	What kind of text is this? Are conventions followed or broken? How is this message constructed? HOW DO I KNOW?
Audience	Who is this intended for? What assumptions does the text make about the audience? Who am I supposed to be in relation to this text? HOW DO I KNOW?
Values	How real is this text? How/where do I find the meaning? What values are presented? What is the commercial message? What is the ideology of this text? What social/artistic/political messages does the text contain? HOW DO I KNOW?
Predisposition	Do I agree with (assent to) this text's message? Do I disagree with (resist) this text's message? Do I argue/negotiate with the message of this text? HOW DO I KNOW?
Perception	How does the text fit my personal values/beliefs/ideology? How does the text relate to my personal needs/hopes/fears/experiences? HOW DO I KNOW?
Skills	What skills do I need to apply to this text? How do I deconstruct/reconstruct this text? What new skills does this text demand of me? HOW DO I KNOW?
Receiver	What does all this mean in the end? HOW DO I KNOW?

What really counts in the end is what we make of the text. All learning is an act of construction.

Source: © Chris Worsnop, 1999. Adapted by the author from Screening Images: Ideas for Media Education. Wright Communications, 1994.