Urban Media Literacy's 4 Pillars of Success
I have been blessed to work with a variety of populations as an entrepreneur, producer, and educator. My experiences have allowed me to organically develop Urban Media Literacy (UML) into a company that assists learners succeed in the classrooms and in life. UML helps increase test scores and decrease murder rates. I offer programming, workshops, and curriculum development that helps learners in the classroom and in the real world. UML's teaching is based on 4 Pillars that help learners become successful. Building critical thinking skills helps develop the spirit of self empowerment
-Baba Bernard Miller
1 Self-Empowerment
By tailoring exercises to relate to the learner’s life experiences, UML gets learners to take ownership of their learning experiences. Feeling self empowerment is a counter to the feeling of being a victim to inadequate schools and curriculum
2 Critical Thinking
Developing vital comprehension skills benefits the learners in the classrooms and in the real world. Many learners do not perform as well as they should on tests because they cannot understand what specific questions are asking them to do. Critical thinking helps learners make better decisions when dealing with real life issues such as anger and charting life paths.
3 Media Literacy
From the cradle to the grave today's learners are bombarded by media messages. Some of these messages promote ideas that are not beneficial. At what ages are they taught how to interpret these messages? In order to decode these messages critical thinking skills, must be developed. Media literacy is the skills to create effective messages and understand messages received from various media.
4 Career Development
UML helps to develop the understanding of what skill sets and methods are necessary to gain and maintain employment in today's society. By combining the first 3 pillars with exposure to career opportunities, UML helps learners develop confidence to pursue career and employment opportunities.