Nielsen, who teaches grade seven at Rhema Christian School, was recruited to do the workshops by the Ontario Alliance of Christian Schools (OACS) after teachers from schools in the alliance expressed a need for more help in teaching media skills. Intermediate level teachers were particularly interested in the workshop.

“The perceived need was widespread, so four days in the various areas were organized to be more efficient in terms of time and cost,” says Nielsen, who presented in London, Hamilton, Newmarket and Kitchener. About 80 teachers participated in the workshops.

Nielsen says the workshops were highly interactive and included role playing, question and answer sessions, and the use of video and internet resources.

“Everything I did for the teachers was designed to be adapted by them for use in the classroom,” he notes.

Nielsen also stressed the cross-curricular applications of media study principles, for instance, using media in other subject areas in effective ways.

Responses from participants were positive, says Nielsen. “In my view, the days were a great success and I really enjoyed doing them.”

Potential future plans for OACS media curricula include rewriting the material. Nielsen has suggested that a Web site be created to facilitate communication between teachers, where ideas could be shared and new curriculum content displayed.

“The focus would be to keep things current and to share ideas,” says Nielsen, who has been asked to take a leadership role in launching this initiative.

Currently the OACS offers the course material for two media studies for grade 7 and 8 students. The studies are designed to develop the viewing and critical thinking skills of students so that they are able to appreciate, understand and evaluate the media.