MEDIA EDUCATION – TEACHER COMPETENCES AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUNGER SCHOOLCHILDREN

The article presents the results of a “pilot” experiment on the problem of media education. It is stated that primary education is one of the most significant stages of a schoolchild’s education. It is at this stage that students acquire numerous skills that will be useful to them at the next stages of education and will determine their success in the future. Since the world of technology, computerization, and media has become the dominant space of almost every person, the author argues for the need to develop media competence of primary school students and qualifies media education as the fourth direction of education. Based on the research of famous Polish scientists (A. Ogonowska, A. Pilich, B. Szemenecki, etc.), she formulated the tasks of media education. The results of a survey of 20 preschool teachers and 30 primary school teachers in rural institutions using a closed-ended questionnaire are presented, namely: 1) teachers independently improve their own media competence through postgraduate studies, participation in methodological seminars, online training, etc.; 2) on their initiative, they include new content in their professional activities, including media education; 3) the new content satisfies the interests of schoolchildren or is focused on preventing threats associated with the use of media. The role of the family in the development of media education is emphasized, because it is parents who must create conditions and situations through which the child acquires the ability to select, make choices, actively and critically perceive the content of media messages so that it enriches the personality and contributes to its development, rather than causing addictions and unhappiness. The author concludes that it is advisable to implement media education in all education subjects following didactic principles and complete safety.