My Very Own Media Studies Wrapped

Day 8 back at school and already a student has uttered the ultimate Media Studies phrase: “Miss, I can’t watch things in the same way anymore… I keep analysing everything.” It’s a reminder of how quickly the subject shifts from being something on a timetable to becoming a lens they carry into everyday life.

Being a Media teacher means your brain never really switches off. You’re in the cinema on a weekend and suddenly thinking, “Could I use this Mission Impossible scene to teach narrative disruption?” Or you’re scrolling Instagram, saving that influencer’s ad for a lesson on audience targeting or regulation.

Coming back into the classroom each September is like opening a treasure chest of recommendations. Students are never short of things they’ve watched, binged or scrolled through over the summer and I like to start my first lesson across all my cohorts with them telling me about what they like to watch, listen read, surf and what they'd recommend. I quickly jot them down on my recommendations page in my planner and then add them to an A3 laminated version of the Whole Class Media Recommendations Poster and it’s one of the easiest ways to tap into what’s really landing with them right now.

Anime has been the undisputed winner with my Year 10s this year, dominating every discussion from narrative archetypes to fan culture. At the same time, there’s something wonderful about hearing my year 12s discover so-called classics for the very first time, Friends, for example, feels brand new to them, even if I still remember when it was first airing. And then there are the timeless cult picks that somehow never leave the rotation, like Donnie Darko, still baffling and delighting a new generation of Media students.

We're always adding to that running list as a class, so what builds up is this organic, ever-growing bank of recommendations that belongs to both me and my classes. Sometimes I’ll formalise it into a homework task - “bring in one thing you’ve watched that’s worth sharing” or "watch something from the recommendations list you haven't before" and write a short review but often it’s just a casual reminder of what’s ‘in’ right now. Before long, these recommendations are compared to Top 10 lists of what is popular at the moment, which are as much a record of society's media diets as they are a tool for me to keep lessons relevant, current and connected to the wider cultural conversation.

In the end, that’s why I’m always watching, listening, and screenshotting because every new recommendation, whether it’s from Netflix, TikTok or a Year 10 anime debate, has the potential to spark the next great Media lesson