the case for media education in tutoring programs

8/3/2019 The Case for Media Education in Tutoring Programs

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The Case forMedia Educationin Tutoring Programs

Meredith Metzler

Leeza Kuznetsova

Maria Hill


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Overview of Hortons Kids:

A Model for Effective Tutoring

Every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, two yellow school buses packed with

children pull up under the shadow of the Capitol and in front of the LongworthBuilding. The children, part of the Hortons Kids program, wait eagerly on thebuses as their tutors line up to pick them up and take them into the building for a90 minute tutoring session. All the children are residents of a public housingdevelopment in Washington, D.C.s Ward 8, one the Districts poorest. In 2010,35,423 of the 70,712 residents were receiving food stamps(http://www.neighborhoodinfodc.org/wards/nbr_prof_wrd8.html#sec_inc) . Inaddition to hunger, violence is a frequent part of these childrens lives. Accordingto Georgetown Universitys Center for Social Justice in 2007, the rate ofreported violent crimes in Ward 8 was 22 per 1,000 citizens, substantially higherthan the DC average of 14 and Almost half (43%) of domestic violence cases

filed in the District in 2005 were against residents of this ward(http://socialjustice.georgetown.edu/114639.html) . While tutoring attempts toovercome the educational systems gaps, Hortons Kids recognizes the greatneed these children face and, thus, takes a holistic approach to their program.They provide the youth with meals before and after tutoring, host Sunday fieldtrips to ensure children see the world beyond their neighborhood, andcoordinate regular and emergency dental and vision care provided by volunteerdentists and optometrists. They also provide children with a backpacks andschool supplies, winter coats, and shoes. Yet, at the center of their program isthe one-on-one attention and care students get from their tutors.

Tutoring is a unique aspect of these childrens lives. It provides them with theindividual attention that is often lacking both at home and in school. Tutors areprovided with unique learning goals for each child and asked to come up withengaging and interesting lesson plans for their student. Over time, tutors becomemuch more than teachers, however. They can grow into confidantes who gaintheir trust over time. This is not to say that every tutor-student relationship is afairy tale. There are discipline issues when children are already exhausted from afull day at school, and as the children get older, they often become distracted byother after school options or socializing while at the program. Both engagingactivities and preparation by the tutors can help reduce these problems.Inevitably, tutoring sessions get sidetracked whether the lesson for the day

becomes maintaining self-control or the tutee just needs to confide in someoneand unwind from the day.

Often the program will state that the tutors are the best resource they have.These volunteers, essential to making tutoring possible, come from a range ofbackgrounds, but the majority are in their 20s or early 30s and fully employed.Some are students and some have volunteered with the organization for over twodecades. Faced with limited resources, Hortons Kids allowsbut does not


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requiretutors to bring what they can to the program. Tutors can provide small,healthy snacks for kids to supplement their lunches or give them small gifts atChristmas or the end of the year. Several tutors will purchase a booksupplemental to what Hortons Kids provides to read with their students.

Hortons Kids is just one example of a tutoring organization, and one that we areusing a starting point for developing our lessons plans. While tutoring itself is aunique space, programs such as Hortons Kids exist across not only theWashington, D.C., metropolitan region but also across the country.

For our purposes, we are using this organization as a starting point to build;however, various tutoring programs can adapt the following lessons plans andtheoretical framework for use.


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Tutoring Programs: The Ideal Space for Media Integration

Most of the material was drawn from International Perspectives on Youth Media:Cultures of Production and Education; all of the articles and theorists addressed areincluded in this scholarly work. It should be noted, however, that none of these articles

specifically identify tutoring programs as their topic of research. What we have done isfound a unique space in which the theories in these numerous chapters intersect, andwe are offering a potential solution for programs with great needs already makingtangible differences in the lives of children.

The Unique Space and Needs in Tutoring Programs

Hortons Kids is like most tutoring programs in that it provides a unique space inthe lives of its students: it is a safe space where for an hour and a half a day, anadult figure is focused on just him or her. While tutoring is identified as anacademic function, building a relationship is just as important to the child'seducation. These relationships help children be more willing to take academicrisks: he or she feels more comfortable attempting to sound out a tricky word ortrying to work through a difficult math problem if he/she knows she will not be

judged or mocked. More importantly, though, tutors become confidantes. Astutors develop relationships with their tutees, the youth begin to open up anddiscuss frustrations with schools, peers, home-life, and more with their tutors.Personal development is just as important (if not more so) than students academic scores. In the case of Hortons Kids, this is part of the reason, from thefirst day of tutoring, encourages tutors to spend the session just "getting to know"the youth.In many ways, tutoring programs situate themselves as a "third space" forstudents, similar to many media programs. In his article "Mad Hard Fun,"published in International Perspectives in Youth Media, Steven Goodmanexplores the value of this space. Goodman is the director of the EducationalVideo Center, a successful non-profit youth media program based in New YorkCity that teaches documentary film making to students. A particular strength ofhis programeven when working in collaboration within charter schoolsiscreating and maintaining the "third space." Goodman describes this as "creatinga school experience that doesn't feellike school" (Goodman, 344). Essentially,while students are learning and thinking critically, it doesn't "feel" as though theyare being "academic," and this is the result of using material (i.e., media) and

topics not traditionally seen as academic and breaking down the highly structuredrelationship of the classroom. Goodman explains:

A youth media microculture embraces a more expanded notion oflearning beyond the limits of an academic integrity. It foregrounds theconcept of agency where youth and the media they create cancontribute to increased democratic participation in the civic life oftheir community. It highlights the concept of border crossing, which


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negates the binary divisions that define traditional schooling:formal/informal learning, school/community, teacher/student,work/play, thought/action (Goodman, 344).

Goodman cites researcher Glynda A. Hull and identifies the "freedoms" that shedescribes as making this space successful: student-selected material, movementoutside of the school, and not being tied to their "school identity" (Goodman,344). While a few of these criteria are specifically used here to describe youthmedia programs, they can be translated to any tutoring program, similar to likeHortons Kids. Tutoring programs blur the binary relationships of teacher/studentand foster mentoring relationships, the space is located outside of school(though, admittedly, re-limited to the Rayburn building), and while many of thestudents know each other, each student has the opportunity to recreate theiridentity with their tutor. Moreover, many of the students are dissatisfied with thestate of their school, find school "boring," or are simply tired of what they see as"school things" by the time they arrive at tutoring. These components maketutoring programs an ideal place to incorporate media into their program for boththe students and tutors, with Hortons Kids being one example of theseprograms.

Media is attractive to youth, and as an example, youth in Hortons Kids are nodifferent. Media use is not readily condoned in many of their schools, where theresources are limited and teachers are stretched thin between meeting testingobjectives and just maintaining classroom control. Home is not an easy source ofaccess either. Often, parents' limited income means that youth may not havethese resources at home. Limited access, however, should not be confused withlimited awareness. Our world is saturated with media, and many students hearabout media and new media technologies (especially smartphones) in songs,

through advertisements, and on television. Students, especially middle school-aged students, know about Facebook. You can see their fascination in thesetechnologies and resources as they grab at their tutor's cell phones, enjoy usingit as a timer in games, or question their tutor if they can friend them. Whilestudents are often resistant to reading a story or working on a math problem,tutors could leverage this interest and their position in a third space to use mediato work toward learning objectives. In addition to keeping students engaged andinterested, media-based projects also provides easily accessible topic forstudents and tutors to discuss, which can lead to even more meaningfuldiscussions and, thus, reinforce this mentoring relationship.Still, it must be remembered that many tutors are not trained teachers and theirexperiences teaching and working with children range from former teachers to noformal experience. While the Hortons Kids program specifically provides basictraining and requires that new tutors shadow a tutoring session before workingwith a student, the idea of preparing an hour-and-a-half tutoring session isdaunting. Many of the tutors work full time and lead active lives, presenting anadditional obstacle to planning out an "interesting" night at tutoring, and tutorsoften fall into ruts returning to the same activities week after week. Therefore,


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materials for tutors need to be as specific as possible. Providing a guided lessonplan is a win-win for tutors. It give them "something" to do by providing atemplate to modify for the youth, and moreover, it provides an interesting activityto promote, hopefully a stronger working relationshipsomething tutors arealways struggling to find.

Resourcefulness & Reflexivity

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have theoutgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.

-Sylvia Plath

The opportunity to engage is everywhere, and the significant role of media is inthe ability to harness, support, and produce creative engagement. But more than

just tools, media are the possibilities for documentation and imagination. The

special attention provided during a tutoring session allows for greater nurturing ofindividual skills with particular focus on resourcefulness. This concept iselemental to the adaptivity and relevancy of media; resourcefulness allowsvarious media to be meaningful to individuals and communities in transformativeways. Media change as societies do, so it demands a fluidity that most otherareas of our social worlds cannot sustain.Young people are especially adept to the innovative qualities of media, but youthand media (as collaborators) are often not given the support, or credit, toeffectively nurture this partnership. David Buckingham, a professor of educationat London University, stresses this central concern in media education in the

Afterword ofInternational Perspectives on Youth Media, summarizing that oftenin institutional or formal educational contexts media are regarded as anoccasional treat, or as an instrumental aid to subject learning (Buckingham,376). In this sense, media are not integrative, they are additivesyouth andmedia are not being used or challenged to their full potential. Outside of theseformal spaces, in grant or government-funded programs, media are often seenas champions for young people, for the subaltern, or unheard. Utopian and,perhaps, a bit misguided, this perspective is necessary but is also unable to truly,and practically, harness the power of youth and media. True autonomy cannot begranted by any source: technological, organizational, or educational. But skills,methods, and tools can be encouraged to foster independent, critical thinking

and problem solving. This is where the self-reflexivity and resourcefulness thatemerge in media practices become essential to tutoring programs. Outside ofpersonal use and the confines of institutional walls, the unique third spaces oftutoring programs exist as a home for this sort of education.One-on-one tutoring advances avenues of self-reflexivity where it offers aneducational goal of the individual locating his or herself in a particular context. Italso requires a reflection and analysis of the individual relationship with their


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environment. And, in terms of resourcefulness, it allows the individual todetermine what media effective tools are appropriate. Professor of ContemporaryHistory Korina Kosicki Belloti suggests, in her study of religious youth activism inBrazil, that communication in the 21st century requires this type of engagementwith media and community because advancements in this area are so globally

proliferated. According to Belloti, [y]outh cannot be immunized from media,whatever they represent, because from now on they will use it more and more toproduce their own visions and interpretation about their fragmented andmultifaceted reality (Belloti, 80).This evaluation emphasizes the fact that media are not limited to technologiesand are, in fact, widely accessible. Media are available in ways that can beeffective despite any economic limitations. A common misconception is thatmedia are limited to video, photography, or advanced computer software.However, in reality, media, particularly for youth, are all modes ofcommunication. They are ways for youth and adults to explore expressivity and

sociocultural environment. Media prompt questions such as: What am I trying tosay? Who am I trying to address? What is the best medium to communicate myideas? Answering these questions and understanding communication at its mostfundamental level promotes exploratory and experiential learning.Resourcefulness derives from self-reflexivity. Without some of substantial fundingof formal and recreational spaces, tutors and their students are expected tofunction with limited resources (time, money, technology, staff), but in creativelychallenging programs. These programs are special opportunities to stretch thedefinition of media, to deconstruct and reimagine communication.

Play for EngagementBoth parent figures and educational institutions often overlook the educationalpotential in play-centered activities, particularly those that involve media.However, research suggests that play has the ability to more fully engagestudents attention in learning (Vared, 229). Tutoring programs are appropriatefor utilizing play for educational purposes because these third spaces provide alearning atmosphere most conducive to informal, collaborative play, and tobuilding the communicative and leadership skills. Most importantly, media playengag[es] children with one another in activities that are often pursued, much tothe dissatisfaction of adults, independently at home. (Vared, 233). In a programlike Hortons Kids, typically solitary media activities (e.g. browsing the internetalone, playing a handheld video game, or even texting) become opportunities forguided play and collaborative, social, learning experiences through the individualinteraction with a tutor. The concern of parental figures that the integration ofmedia in tutoring curricula is merely passive television babysitting is notunimportant, but media integration is also a critical and relevant method forstudents to actively experiment and experience media in a meaningful way.


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Furthermore, engaging in media play in these programs can serve as aconnection between the real world and formal education in schools, which toyouth may feel detached from the real world and understanding everydayproblems. Moreover, the increasingly pervasive role of media technology skills

both in advanced education and professional settingstechnology highlights theissue of the digital divide, in which technology access is determined often byracial and economic position. Media play allows educators to provide guidedinstruction in media production and media literacy, without which young peoplewould often be left to educate themselves about media and could easily adoptunhealthy habits of media use or fall victim to the pervasive marketing tools.Engaging in media play thus allows for developing creativity and expressivity,harvesting collaborative and leadership skills, and the development of criticalmedia literacy all while utilizing a the flexibility allowed for by the fun, play-centricphilosophy ofmedia education to truly engage students in projects they wouldfeel invested in on a personal level, rather than the imposition of skill acquisition

they often encounter in formal education or the unproductive and unguidedmedia exposure at home or in personal use.


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LESSON PLANSAdaptable + modifiable

for one-on-one program implementation


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Lesson Plan 1:Blogs and Virtual Community

This lesson could continue for as many weeks as planned or stop after each week.Simply ensure that you set the youth's expectations properly in advance. Evaluate your

own capabilities and speak to the director of the program prior to making any promises,especially involving posting things online. You may need to speak with the student'sparent prior to beginning the project.

Suggested Resources: Computer Internet Access Digital Camera Smart Phone

Purpose: Develops writing skills: sentence construction, writing to an audience,

descriptive writing Exposes students to virtual publishing Practice guided Internet research and evaluation of resources Allows youth to express voice, and implement typically academic goals in

a fun, imaginative, and interactive way while learning production skills

Background for Tutors on Blogs: http://mashable.com/2010/10/03/help-youthren-blog/

IMPLEMENTATION

Week 1: Discuss "Blogs" and Begin Planning (20-30 minutes) Begin by asking the youth if they have looked at any blogs. If they have looked at blogs, ask:

o What blogs have you read or have looked at?o How would you define a blog? What features are included in a blog

(text, visuals, comments)?o If you were to create a blog, what would it be about? Have them

come up with a few different examples and provide prompts ifnecessary (i.e., what about your neighborhood?, school?, bookreviews?)

If they have not:o Define a blog (An online journal/publication that takes various

forms. It can include comments, text, photographs. Sometimes itincludes a theme like music, neighborhood communities, or
http://mashable.com/2010/10/03/help-youthren-blog/http://mashable.com/2010/10/03/help-youthren-blog/http://mashable.com/2010/10/03/help-youthren-blog/


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commentary on news. Sometimes it is solely what interests aperson.)

o After explaining it to them, ask him/her if they were to create a blog,what would it be about? Have them come up with a few differentexamples and provide prompts if necessary (i.e., what about your

neighborhood?, school?, book reviews?) Work with your youth to come up with a theme for a blog that will fit with

the resources that you have. Some suggestions include:o Book reviewso The tutoring programo Their neighborhoodo Photo journals

Once the blog has a theme, select a name. Begin discussing the different media options to include on the blog. Again,

be sure to help them understand what resources are available.Suggestions include:

o

Written pieceso Photos (dependent on camera resources)o Videos (dependent on camera resources)o Links to Other Blogso Note:If you do not have Internet access or do not have the

capabilities to create the blog, feel free to use this lesson as ageneral overview of what is on the web and end the lesson here.Bring print outs of the blog.

Note:Prepare your youth with a set of guidelines. It will be up to you and youryouth if you want this to be a continual project or only to follow a four-week

program. It could also be a team effort with you and a few other tutors.

With smartphone or laptop: Have a few of your favorite blogs pulled up. Make sure that they are youth

appropriate and cover a range of topics. Some examples include:o Dog Eared Bog Blog (National Geographic):

http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/dogeared/o Silly Images Blog:http://icanhascheezburger.com/o Godzilla Haiku:http://godzillahaiku.tumblr.com/o Local neighborhood blogo

Harry Potter Fan Blog:http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/o Teenage Bedroom:http://teenagebedroom.tumblr.com/

Do a few searches for blogs together. Again, use common sense if theywill be appropriate.

Note:If you do not have a computer at tutoring, consider bringing print outs withyou.
http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/dogeared/http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/dogeared/http://icanhascheezburger.com/http://icanhascheezburger.com/http://icanhascheezburger.com/http://godzillahaiku.tumblr.com/http://godzillahaiku.tumblr.com/http://godzillahaiku.tumblr.com/http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/http://teenagebedroom.tumblr.com/http://teenagebedroom.tumblr.com/http://teenagebedroom.tumblr.com/http://teenagebedroom.tumblr.com/http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/http://godzillahaiku.tumblr.com/http://icanhascheezburger.com/http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/dogeared/


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Weeks 2: Blog Set Up (20-30 Minutes)This step may require some work in advance and being able to bring a computer withinternet access to the program. If you are not able to do this, you can set up the blogindependently and skip ahead to working on content (Weeks 4 & 5) and put it in for theyouth later.

Set up a blog account for the youth prior to tutoring. By setting it up youensure that you will be able to monitor content and usage.

o Free options for blogs include Wordpress, Tumblr, and Blogger.Note that each platform has different capabilities. Wordpress andBlogger are more text-oriented and have comment features. Tumblrhas more multi-media options.

If you are unfamiliar with the sites, it would be worth your time to set upyour own blog and play around with it prior to working with the youth.

Blog Set Up Work with the youth to select one of the free themes and colors that you

would like for the blog. Ask them why they are making particular selections: what do they like

about the look of the themes they are selecting?

Note:Provide a time limit at the start so that this does not take up the entiretutoring session.

Weeks 3: Blog Set Up II (20-40 Minutes)This step may require some work in advance and being able to bring a computer withinternet access to the program. If you are not able to do this, you can set up the blogindependently and skip ahead to working on content (Weeks 4 & 5) and put it in for theyouth later.

Review theme selection from previous week. Write the Introduction: a statement of purpose for the blog. Work with the youth to search and develop a set of related links or sites

that the student likes. In the process, be sure to use learning opportunitiesto discuss the sites with the students and find out what they find attractive

about the sites.

Weeks 4: Internet Community and Safety (20-30 Minutes) A big precaution for any Internet based project is that the youth may be

unaware of what information should go online. Review with them that theyshould:


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o Never use their personal information online. This includes usingtheir full name, address, phone number or email in their posts.

o Be careful when commenting on blogs. They should ignore and, ifpossible, remove any inappropriate comments.

o Ask the youth to develop a "code" with you for what can and cannot

go on the blog (i.e., We will not post photos of ourselves or friends,etc.) Most blogging platforms, like social networks like Facebook, are within a

community. Discuss with youth what it means to be in an onlinecommunity.

o Commenting on Blogs: Discuss with students that becausecomments are anonymous it is tempting to be more aggressivethan usual. They must be aware that they are to act respectfully, asif they were talking to you, online.

o This discussion might prompt you to ask students if they are onsocial networks. Be prepared for youth to ask you if you are on

Facebook or another social media platform.

With laptop: Pick out an article or post from a site such as National Geographic's Dog

Eared Bog Blog (http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/dogeared/). Read it with your students and look at the comments together. Write a comment together.

Without a laptop:

Print out an article or post from a site such as National Geographic's DogEared Bog Blog (http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/dogeared/). Besure that you also print the comments.

Read it with your students and look at the comments together. Draft a comment together.

Weeks 5-6: Content Development (20-40 Minutes)This step can be done with or without internet access. If you are doing it without internetaccess, decide if you will be posting it before hand.

Before getting started, make a plan for what types of content you will wantto include. Then develop a plan for as many weeks as you would like. Itcould be a once a month project or one done every two weeks.

In the first two weeks, try to complete two different types of content. Review the media produced by the child. If it is photos, encourage him/her

to develop captions.


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Without a laptop: Help the student post content to the site. Be sure to explain how all the tools work. By using a variety of media, the

youth will be able to come up with more ideas of what can be done.

Theoretical Context for Lesson Plan 1:The Blogs and Virtual Community lesson plan depends heavily either the tutor orthe tutoring program providing a resource of a computer with internet access.This is not to say that the lesson cannot be completed without a computer. Aslong as a tutor can print out materials, or speak generally with the child on thetopics of the web, some of the same educational value can be accomplished withthe exposure to internet issues in general.

As long as a tutor is comfortable, providing access to a mediated web forum forstudents, especially students of a lower socio-economic strata, such as those inHortons Kids. Stuart R. Poyntz and Michael Hoeschmann, facilitators ofcommunity youth media programs, write that "there is an assumption that schoolsand/or community programs can address and confront what is now called thedigital divide by giving low-income and otherwise marginalized kids access totechnologies and social networks they might otherwise not have. A vocationalapproach is thus a kind of equalizer in socio-economic circumstances and anenabler for those not succeeding in academic streams" (302). As our worldbecomes increasingly digital, the ability to work with this technology is essentialto future employment prospects. Computer literacy is becoming as essential asbasic literacy for many higher paying vocations. By increasing students'familiarity and comfort with computer forms such as blogs and searching, tutorsalso are providing an important skill and the starting point from which tounderstand the conventions of these tools. That said, Poyntz and Hoeschmannemphasize that vocation does need to be the entire focus of working with youthin media. In their own experiences, they found that learning the "fundamentals"was part of the process, and in making it enjoyable, the participants often"adopted" the vocational aspects of these program on their own, furthering theirown set of knowledge (Poyntz and Hoeschmann, 304). This leaves room for thetutor to make these projects engaging.

While the blog itself could easily be geared toward a focus on the program oreducational materials, there are several reasons to allow the student to selecttheir own materials. The first is pointed out by Poyntz and Hoeschmann:"Pleasure fosters student interest and student understanding" (Poyntz andHoeschmann, 314). Reinforcing to youth that their interests are worthwhile bringsmore engagement. This was seen even more clearly in the collaboration betweenUniversity of Southern California Institute for Media Literacy and the Los AngelesUnified School District Arts Education Branch. While they attempted to tietogether media arts and media literacy to the school's curriculum objectives, Amy


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Stornaiuolo, Glynda A. Hull, and Urvashi Sahni ultimately found that studentswere not always excited about the process. They explain:

"...there were many parts of the production process that young peopleengaged with only half-heartedly, and in some cases actively resisted.This was particularly evident when young people worked on the research,reading, and writing activities related to their projects. In contrast, youngpeople found media production engaging when they were able toincorporate some of their own interest into the processinterests such assocializing with friends, learning technical skills, referencing popularculture and making each other laugh. These strategies helped make theactivities more personally relevant to young people than they might havebeen otherwise" (Stornaiuolo, et al., 368).

Tutors (or anyone working with a child after a full day of school) are familiar withthis "active resistance" posed by a child when they see an activity as "stupid" or"boring." By giving the child more agency to select their topic, the tutor will

hopefully see more engagement by the child. For example, if the student isexcited about music, it is easier to convince him/her to write a short blog entryabout what their favorite song that week is. Engagement also facilitates thelearning process. In this case, the student is still getting practice writing andspelling, simply with fewer gripes.

There are concerns about allowing a child complete agency in selecting thetopics and writing for the blog, however, that tutors must be aware of andprepared for. In the selection of the topic, the child may select a topic orcompose subject material that actually reinforces negative stereotypes andpositions. Poyntz and Hoeschmann saw that, " many community-based media

producers hold to the modernist assumption that all self-expression is alwaysliberating. But this assumption fails to acknowledge the way in which self-expression can itself be disempowered or force youth to face precarious ethicaldilemmas" (Poyntz and Hoeschmann, 306). Further reinforcing this challengewere the findings cited by Amy Stornaiuolo, Glynda A. Hull, and Urvashi Sahni,researchers who founded an internationally based social networking cite foryouth. They wrote that "the participatory culture surrounding new media will notnecessarily facilitate cosmopolitan habits of mind, tolerance across difference, orengagement with a larger public good. Recent early studies have revealed, infact, that participation on social networking sites largely mirrors the socialsegregation that occurs off-site (Hargittai and Hinnant 2008)" (Stornaiuolo, et al.,

265). While their focus is more global, this finding is still relevant for the ways inwhich media use can become a reinforcement of negative aspects of their lives.Many youth media researchers, including Stornaiuolo, et al., thus conclude that

an adult figure, in this case a tutor, can provide real and effective "scaffolding andsupport" to "foster youth's sense of themselves in relation to others, as peoplewith responsibilities toward others, even across challenging encounters"(Stornaiuolo, et al., 273). Tutoring, as the third space, includes numerousopportunities for the tutors, close in age and outside of the school context, to


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Lesson Plan 2:Sequel to a Book

This lesson could continue for as many weeks as planned or stop after each week. Forexample, the storyboard could be just a booklet of captioned illustrations, or the editing

stage could be done of an informal video. Simply ensure that you set the tuteesexpectations properly in advance (i.e., speak to the director of the program prior tomaking any promises).

Requirements: Access to video camera (a smartphone video camera would suffice) Computer with basic video editing software Access to the Internet Arts and crafts supplies

Tutoring expectations: Improves writing skills, verbal skills, narrative skills, and the tutees ability

to plan and complete a long term project Practice leadership skills like delegating tasks, communicating intentions,

and team work Allows youth to express voice, and implement typically academic goals in

a fun, imaginative, and interactive way while learning production skills Familiarizes with privacy, copyright, and other issues that are involved

with participating in the Internet public sphere

IMPLEMENTATION

Week 1: Selecting a Book and Initial Planning for a Sequel (20-30 minutes) Ask: Whats your favorite book? Do you want to make a sequel to your

favorite book?Note:This could be spread out over a few weeks and you could read a fewdifferent books to select from.

o Come prepared with yourfavorite childrens books that the tuteewould also be familiar with, and be prepared to talk about what youthink happened next in the story or what you would have liked tohappen.

o Bring in the selected book, or check it out from the libraryo Have the student reflect on their favorite story

Questions to ask include:What did you like about the book?Do you think the ending was fair? What would you havechanged? Were all the characters happy? Would any ofthem want to seek revenge? Did the characters make newfriends with whom they could have another adventure? Whathappened next?


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Note:Take down notes on the ideas the tutee comes up with whilebrainstorming, so the idea are not lost or forgotten in the next step

Discuss how the sequel should be portrayedo Questions to ask include:Do you want to do one long video or

several short ones (think realistically in terms of time andattention)? Do you want to recreate the setting indoors with propsor go outside to find it?

o Prompt to explain all ideasNote:Questions are meant to prompt thinking rather than to undermineideas, reassure the tutee that their idea and use questions to expandthose ideas

o Have a hypothetical peer audience in mind, explain that the videocould be put up on Youtube

Prompt the tutee to think about how their choices will effectaudience perception

Questions to ask: Who do you want to be able to see thevideo? Who would you not want to see the video? Do youwant people to be able to comment on the video?

o Consider getting other tutees/mentors involved to act outcharacters. Another option is to make sock puppets that the tuteecan use to act out characters.

Ask the tutee why they are making this choice. How many other student will you be able to recruit? Do you

want to recruit other tutees? Can you make one actorversion? Do they want to be one of the characters?

Discuss what additional media you would want to incorporatecostumes,

props, music?o Questions to ask:what limitations would you have putting together

a play or video here? Will you have an option to use media? Whatspace will you be able to use?

With smart phone or laptop: Prepare several different videos of similar projects to show.

Note:This should only be done after the tutee had thoroughlybrainstormed their own ideas to avoid limiting their creativity. Also, not

all the films are appropriate, so be sure that you have a list of linksready or the sites already pulled up.

o Possible examples with actors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRKFDUbNqs&feature=

relatedo Possible examples with puppets:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRKFDUbNqs&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRKFDUbNqs&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRKFDUbNqs&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRKFDUbNqs&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRKFDUbNqs&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRKFDUbNqs&feature=related


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Weeks 8-10: Rehearse and Perform (45 minutes/week)Much of this is contingent on resources. Video can be completed with a digitalcamera or if it's a short script you could use a smart phone with filmingcapabilities.

Have students practice their parts. Discuss costumes and staging at the end of each practice. Note:Be sure that you are working with other tutors to ensure to help if

there are conflicts.

Weeks 10-12: Exploring Editing Techniques and Editing Footage Once the scenes are on film, teach the tutee how to edit videos. Spend some time playing around with the program you chose to explore

the different effects.o

Prompt the student to explain what they like and what they dontlike, as well as what effects they want to add to their footage andwhere/why.

o Start editing footage This can get difficult, so make sure you do some preparation

and are familiar enough with the program to be able toachieve the desired effects

If using copyrighted materials like music, discuss theimplications of hosting copyrighted materials online

Take the opportunity to explain alternatives such ascreative commons

Week 13: Uploading and Reflection Upload video on Youtube

o Note:If the videos have children in them, as opposed to puppets,you need to get permission from their parents for hosting the videoonline.

Discuss this with the kids again, much like you did in theplanning stage.

Questions to ask: Who do you want to be able to see the

video? Who would you not want to see the video? Do youwant people to be able to comment on the video?o This is a great opportunity to discuss privacy over the Internet.

Prompt the tutee to think about what concerns their parents wouldhave as well as what concerns they have. Discuss the differentprivacy options available on Youtube.

o If the tutee is under 13, use your own account to upload the video.


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Theoretical Context for Lesson Plan 2:According to media scholar David Levin, the role of education is to provide adeliberative public sphere in which students can dodge ideas and covet theirvoice (Levin,152). In order to ensure meaningful and productive discourse,

participants should follow common rules of the public sphere and beprepared to have conversations, not only make assertions (Levin, 152).Educators should facilitate the discussion of daily news media, make studentsaware of the norms of participating in the public sphere through film, andencourage a deeper understanding of the issues students wish to communicateabout (Levin,152). Educators also need to be sensitive to the balance ofstimulating the students without confining them to certain embedded norms. Tobalance agency and ensure deep reflection, the youth should have a hypotheticalaudience in mind for his or her project (Luttrell) 195. In order to prevent theproject from feeling like an assignment that should meet standards imposed byan authoritative figure, students should be prompted to envision an audience

their own age (Luttrell, et al., 195).

The above lesson plan draws on this view of education by focusing primarily onprompting students to envision an audience and take the position of theiraudience into account while making decisions during the various stages of theproduction process. Keeping in mind that their work in general has tocommunicate something to someone means that the students will be moreconscious of their decisions during the production process. Tutors canextrapolate narratives, ideologies, social relationships, and power dynamics fromthe way the tutees self-explain their videos, and use these themes as a jumpingoff point to discuss various issues in the youths every day life as well as tointroduce to them various concerns participants in the Internet public sphereneed to be aware of, such a privacy and intellectual property (Luttrell, et al., 192).


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Lesson Plan 3:The Cartographer

This lesson could be modified to last longer or condensed to one or two

sessions. Simply ensure that you set the child's expectations properly in advanceand also speak to the director of the program prior to making any promises.

Suggested Resources: Paper Pen/Markers/Crayons/Pencils Computer (Paint program, Google map, Word processor, or blog platform) Digital camera Smartphone (video, photo) Printer

Purpose: Improves writing skills, verbal skills, narrative skills, visual skills, and the

spatial understanding. Practice of communicating intentions Allows youth to interact with environment, and to communicate context,

and reimagine space Familiarizes student different forms of media, engages them in critical

questions about appropriate media

IMPLEMENTATION

Week 1-2:The tutor will discuss the process of mapping with the student. Consider touchingon topics such as spatial distinctions and defining space (through labels, themes,or symbols). Then consider discussing ways of communicating space throughtraditional cartographic methods like map projection and illustration. Allow thediscussion to evolve into creative ways of interpreting physical space.

Helpful background:1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartography

Inspiration sites:1. http://creativemapping.blogspot.com/2. http://www.flowtown.com/blog/the-2010-social-networking-

map?display=wide3. http://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/wp-

content/uploads/2010/07/brooklyn-map.jpg

Questions to prompt discussion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartographyhttp://creativemapping.blogspot.com/http://creativemapping.blogspot.com/http://www.flowtown.com/blog/the-2010-social-networking-map?display=widehttp://www.flowtown.com/blog/the-2010-social-networking-map?display=widehttp://www.flowtown.com/blog/the-2010-social-networking-map?display=widehttp://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/brooklyn-map.jpghttp://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/brooklyn-map.jpghttp://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/brooklyn-map.jpghttp://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/brooklyn-map.jpghttp://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/brooklyn-map.jpghttp://www.flowtown.com/blog/the-2010-social-networking-map?display=widehttp://www.flowtown.com/blog/the-2010-social-networking-map?display=widehttp://creativemapping.blogspot.com/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartography


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What is a map? What does a map communicate? How are maps used?

Suggested activities for weeks 1-2:

Map RemixThe tutor presents the student with a few maps, and particularly of areas or sitesthat the student might have some familiarity with. Then the student will be askedto combine and reimagine the maps to include all of them. One example might beto present the tutee with an NYC subway map (if they are from New York City)and a map of famous sites in NYC or a typical tourist map. Then ask the studentto cut out particular sites from one map and paste the nearby subway stops onthe other.

This exercise helps to acquaint both the tutor and student to maps, the students

ability to visualize and define space, and reimagine ways of collaborating andcommunicating a message.

TourTutor walks around the learning space with the student. Set aside approximately30 minutes for this. Then ask the student to map the space as he or sheexperienced it. Explain to the student that he or she is not being tested onmemory, but that the possibility of mapping can also be the experience of thetour: spaces can be defined in an order or layout that is important to them. Askthe student what the best way to communicate the space to others might be:paper, computer, video, etc.

At the end of this session, whether its stretched over two weeks or shortened toone, ask the student to think about their neighborhood. Ask the student to takenote of important landmarks and of the layout and the routes he or she takesconsistently; ask them to consider where they visit often and with whom they aremeeting or traveling. Finally, tell them to document these in some way. In theinitial stage, this can be simply note taking or it can be through images (drawing,photography, or video).

Week 3-4:In this time period, the tutor will revisit with the student. Together they will reviewthe notes on the students neighborhood. Ask them to explain what wasdocumented.

Questions to prompt discussion: Why and how are these sites important to you? Why and how are these sites important to the community?


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Theoretical Context for Lesson Plan 3:In order for youth to be both aware and engaged in their socioculturalenvironment, it is important for them to situate themselves in it. The Cartographerlesson plan encourages tutors to develop dialogue with their students about what

they experience around them. Antonio Lpez, an author on mediacology,suggests a holistic approach to media education, one that integrates theindividual context with collaborative and practical media practices. Lpezswriting stresses the fundamental importance of the adaptive quality of lessonswith media; programs that utilize flexibility as ways for the student to experiencethe remixing process. Lpez uses the term prosumer, as it relates tocommercial economies, however the production environment allows for not justcommercial engagement, but a personal investment in ones own environment(Lpez, 326). It is critcal for any student to understand his or her role as aproducer. Lopez cites Walter Benjamin as he describes the author as theproducer, and this an important lesson in the map-making process. It allows the

student to reimagine their own environment and shows them ways in which theycan creatively challenge the permanence of space, routine, and design (Lpez,328).

Professor of Film and Media, Michael Dezuanni, also emphasizes the elementalrole of meaning-making in media production. Dezuanni describes the importanceof production as it supports Jacques Derridas claim that meaning is nevercomplete and is always in the process of becoming (Dezuanni, 133). For atutoring program, tutors and students have the unique opportunity to hone in oninterests of the student, gain familiarity with the students strengths andweaknesses (as a student), and engage in focused dialogue. This educationalmodel supports an activity like map-making and the process of reimaginationspecifically because it prompts the student to first make observations about his orher social world, it asks them to communicate effectively the world in which theylive, and then allows them to creatively challenge and reimagine thisenvironment. In these ways they becomes active observers and producers.


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Concluding ThoughtsHortons Kids has been provided as a tutoring program model because it showshow tutoring programs are more than just educational programs, but also occupy

a necessary third space in the lives of its youth students through mentoring.

Media education thrives in these social experiences of third spaces. Mediarequires self-reflexivity, critical questions, and creative solutions to availableresources asking: what constitutes media? Moreover, media education in thesetutoring spaces promotes a sense of play and engagement with the material, in away that is not always true with traditional school materials. Tutoring programsconstantly seek new and effective ways to engage their students in meaningfulactivity.

It must also be recognized that the digital divide is real. Affording students

access to media learningin any formhelps them reflect on and participatewith their surroundings, and helps to develop the skills necessary to engage inthem as active citizens and producers.

The Lesson Plans provided should all be read with a critical and discerning eye.They should be adapted to the age-level and resources within the program. If youare a tutor, you know your child best and should figure out what would be in theirlevel of capabilities. Effort has been made to make the lesson plans as flexible aspossible, but, ultimately, their primary purpose is to provide a good starting point.

Most of the material was drawn from International Perspectives on Youth Media:

Cultures of Production and Education; all of the articles and theorists addressedare included in this scholarly work. It should be noted, however, that none ofthese articles specifically identify tutoring programs as their topic of research.What we have done is found a unique space in which the theories in thesenumerous chapters intersect, and we are offering a potential solution forprograms with great needs already making tangible differences in the lives ofchildren.


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WORKS CITED [MLA]

Fisherkeller, Joellen, ed. International Perspectives on Youth Media: Cultures ofProduction and Education. New York, NY: Peter Lang, 2011. Print.

Belloti, Karina Kosicki. Media and Christian Youth Groups in Brazil.Fisherkeller 68-83.

Buckingham, David. Afterword. Youth Media Production in the DigitalAge: Some Reflectionsand a Few Provocations. Fisherkeller 375-379.

Dezuanni, Michael. Youth Media Production and Technology SkillsAcquisition: Opportunities for Agency. Fisherkeller 121-137.

Goodman, Steven. Mad Hard Fun: Building a Microculture of Youth

Media in New York City Transfer Schools. Fisherkeller 338-354.

Levin, David. Because Its Not Really Me: Students Films and TheirPotential as Alternative Media. Fisherkeller 138-154.

Lpez, Antonio. Practicing Sustainable Youth Media. Fisherkeller 317-337.

Luttrell, Wendy, Jennifer Dorsey, Carla Shalaby, and Julia Hayden.Transnational Childhoods and Youth Media: Seeing with and Learningfrom One Immigrant Childs Visual Narrative. Fisherkeller 192-209.

Orr Vared, Karen. Center or Margin?: The Place of Media Play inChildrens Leisure: Case Studies from Sweden and Australia. Fisherkeller228-245.

Poyntz, Stuart R. and Michael Hoechsmann. Not Just Philosophizing:Producing Effective Youth Media and Communication Projects.Fisherkeller 301-316.

Soep, Elisabeth. All the Worlds an Album: Youth Media as StrategicEmbedding. Fisherkeller 246- 262.

Stornaiuolo, Amy, Glynda A. Hull, and Urvashi Sahni. CosmopolitanImaginings of Self and Other: Youth and Social Networking in a GlobalWorld. Fisherkeller 262-281.

the case for media education in tutoring programs

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