KidsTrustNews: Introducing Media Literacy and Civic Education Teaching in Schools through Quality Kids Media

With this pilot project we aimed to invest in raising the level of media literacy and civic and global competences of the children in Bulgaria and Slovenia. We aimed to develop and test in primary...

With this pilot project we aimed to invest in raising the level of media literacy and civic and global competences of the children in Bulgaria and Slovenia. We aimed to develop and test in primary schools a new approach to teaching these competences along various subjects in schools, starting as early as in primary school. We utilized existing quality media for kids as a tool for introducing basic democratic and civic values, and building up the media literacy of the next generation. Part of the project was the creation of articles for the two media for kids (published by the two partner organizations) that can be used by both teachers in school, and by the schoolchildren in their free time. With this we wanted to achieve a growing relevance to the educational objectives and sustainability of the two media.

We have implemented the following activities: - Design of the methodology In consultations with teachers in Bulgaria and Slovenia we have developed the content, method and approach of the pilot project in schools. - Mutual partner coaching and Monthly editorial meetings Transfer of knowledge and know-how between the two partner organisations. - Work in class This was the central activity of the project. Knigovishte/Vijte and Časoris have implemented the innovative approach of teaching media and civic literacy through quality media content in twenty seven classes. - Production of media content Quality media articles production for kids is a central activity for this project approach. - Dissemination of the results through seminars for teachers After the end of the class work teachers shared their experience with a wider audience of other teachers in online and offline seminars. - Production of guidelines for teaching civic and media literacy in class through quality media for children. A lasting output of the project, filtering the know-how, accumulated within this project. - Maintaining and developing the platforms of the two participating organization/kids media - Monitoring and evaluation of the project activities

The concrete outputs of this project are: - 212 articles in vijte.bg and casoris.si, discoverable by #KidsTrustNews on both websites. The articles are viewed 102.277 times - 15 articles translated in English from Slovenian, so the teachers can use them in English classes as well - 100 quizzes on each of the articles in Vijte.bg. solved 10.076 times - 9 topical quizzes of Casoris, solved 899 times in total - 12 thematic news packages to be used in schools for teaching media and civic literacy were produced - 18 interception thematic quizzes produced - to measure the effect of the applied methodology - 29 teachers and 62 classes took part in the pilot project - around 1 400 children were directly involved in the project - six seminars for sharing experience: teachers to teachers, with around 300 teachers participated in them - Casoris carried out media literacy workshops for children in the three participating schools - 11 partner meetings - 1 guidelines produced - 9 mentions of the project in the Knigovishte monthly and special bulletins, each reaching more that 15.000 subscribed teachers and parents - 3 newsletters about the project to a total of 1004 teachers - articles shared through the facebook channels of the partners