In a world where anyone can publish anything, children are growing up in an environment where information is fast, fragmented… and not always trustworthy. With young people exposed to news, opinions, and online content from an ever-growing range of sources – including those partially or wholly powered by AI – the ability to engage critically with media and information has never been more important; especially now that 16-year-olds are to be given the right to vote.
That’s why First News, the UK’s leading children’s newspaper, has partnered with MILA to produce two clear, practical frameworks (primary and secondary) for teaching media and information literacy in schools.
Based on the five aspirations in MILA’s own original Framework and drawing on the Bournemouth University theory of change for media literacy, the First News MIL Frameworks set out the key knowledge and skills young people need for living and thriving in an information society.
- The Primary Framework (ages 7–11) introduces core skills through MILA’s five lifelong aspiration domains (being informed, being empowered, being health, being socially conscious and being connected), expressed in simple “I know” and “I can” statements designed for classrooms and easy reference.
- The Secondary Framework (ages 11–14) builds on these foundations, supporting students as they navigate more complex media and online environments.
According to a recent survey conducted by First News, 83% of teachers say media and information literacy (MIL) is important or very important; 61% say MIL is not currently taught at their school; and only 5% would feel very confident teaching it. With these frameworks – freely available for anyone to download – educators can plan MIL lessons with genuine impact and track the progress of pupils in a meaningful way.
MILA has also consulted with First News on the development of a new subscription product for schools: the First News TeachKit: MIL, which offers a complete solution for the delivery of MIL education for children aged 7-14 (Years 3-9) with schemes of work based on the frameworks and fully resourced lessons that can be downloaded from the TeachKit platform – including fortnightly, news-based lessons to keep MIL teaching topical and responsive to events as they happen.
Both First News and MILA believe strongly that media and information literacy should be a mandatory educational entitlement for every child; and crucially, that it should be as much about creation and empowerment as it is about protection and critical analysis. The First News MIL Frameworks – and the TeachKit – are designed to support schools in developing students as capable, confident, media and information literate citizens, ready to question, challenge and positively shape the world around them.
The freely-downloadable Frameworks, along with the TeachKit, are available here.
