Breaking Barriers with Media Literacy

[Commentary] So where does the process of undoing stereotypes start? In my opinion, it starts with teachers. How can a teacher begin to unravel negative stereotypes in the classroom, if he or she has some of her own? It makes me grateful for workshops like this that help teachers reflect on their own stereotypes they may be starting off with! And the teachers who participated seem to agree. "I like that we learned the idea of negative stereotypes originating from both direct experience and media messages. How do we know which come from which?" Debbie Repak reflects on the workshop exercises that prompted teachers to list their own stereotypes about people in different occupations and then contrast them with their own direct experiences. "They did with us what we want to do for our students: examine our stereotypes and how we know what we know. What's true or not true? How do we think we know?"