MEST3 Example ídentities case study: Teachers and Students

*Not a brilliant structure, but useful as a starting point for planning!*

Example Identities and the Media Case Study

Teachers and Students

·         Text 1: Educating Yorkshire (Channel 4)

·         Text 2: Bad Education (BBC 3)

·         Text 3: Get into Teaching Website (UK Gov) http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching

·         Text 4: Striking Teachers (The Daily Mail)  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2465255/Teachers-strike-protesters-spent-afternoon-PUB.html

 Example analysis:

Text	What representation has been created? Where is your evidence? Can you link theory?	What is the audience’s response? How can students and teachers use this text to help shape their own identities?	What is the purpose of the piece?	Who is the institution behind it? Is this significant?
Educating Yorkshire	Reflective representation to a point. Footage is real. Editing may embellish focus on certain narratives.	Identity – B&K for students and teachers. This is a realist and recognisable environment and scenario. Discussion – Is their school like this? Dyer – Transparency, we can see into another organisations way of working	To inform and provoke discussion on Education in the UK. To some degree is to entertain as the narratives focussed on are selected on their merit as entertainment.	Channel 4 Known for innovative documentaries and programming. Generally more adult audience. Have had other ground breaking reality TV, looking into different areas. Dispatches, UnDatables….
Bad Education	Negative Stereotypical characters, many ‘token’ (black, gay, disabled etc.) Crude and childish storylines.	For teacher and students there may be an element of schadenfreude. (B&K) However OTT and comic the narratives we still have elements of relatable content.	To entertain, it is an entirely fictional comedic narrative.	Typical youth focus. This may give more simplistic representations because of the lower (perceived) ability – due to age- of the audience. It may also show teachers as the main fool to allow students some catharsis, imagining these horrible scenarios for their own teachers.
Get Into Teaching	Overtly positive. Lots of high key images with positive facial expressions, positive language and incentives offered on the home page!	For aspiring teachers there may be a positive response. For the more realistic (jaded?) experienced teacher there may be some discussion of their motives and experiences of teaching. For some it may help to reinforce their passion to the vocation.  (inflation of Authority B&K)	To promote the career of teaching.	Government institution. This si s significant as they need to recruit teachers constantly and also need to maintain the profile of the profession to make it desirable. This is becoming harder in the growing political climate.
The Daily Mail	Negative and sensationalist. Heavily constructed to suit their own news agenda. (Negative news sells!)	Discussion B&K, Striking is a hot topic. Moral Panic may be caused over the state of education!	To inform, although some may argue their journalistic credit due to their especially sensationalist tabloid nature.	Tabloid Newspaper Especially known for fear-mongering sensational stories. Relies heavily on negative news agenda to sell copies.