Sumana Kasturi
This past week, our family was discussing weekend plans at the dining table. Both the kids had something to do: homework to finish, a rehearsal to attend, and plans to play with friends. My husband had his own errands to get done. Everyone looked at me. “I’m watching MasterChef Australia,” I announced. My husband wore a look of resignation (he’s not much of a TV watcher) and my kids looked at me with envy. Last season, the kids and I had become addicted to the MasterChef show; we watched every episode diligently during the last 3 or 4 weeks, resulting in delayed bedtimes and the consequent morning craziness to make it to the school bus on time. So when the new season of MasterChef: Junior began, I put my foot down. We were not going to get caught this time.Oppblåsbar Bungee Run
“I’m writing an article about it for Teacher Plus,” I said virtuously. My daughter crinkled her eyes in suspicion, and my son, making the most of the opportunity, said immediately: “Can I write an article too?” And right then I realized, was the perfect time to “use” the show to talk to my own kids. It was an example of what my professor used to call a “Media Literacy Moment”. A Media Literacy Moment as he explained it, was all about finding the right opportunity, the right timing or ‘moment’, to introduce a thought, an idea, a question that prompted the child to think about the issue (in this case, media-related) at hand. It could be right in the middle of a conversation about the latest movie blockbuster, while reading the headlines over breakfast, or during the ad break of a favourite TV show.
The author lives in Hyderabad and works in the field of education. She can be reached at sumanakasturi@.com.