MEA AGM 2025: Ways of Knowing

This year’s MEA AGM was prefaced by a keynote from Dr Steve Connolly, our out-going chair of The MEA and Associate Professor of Education at Anglia Ruskin University. Drawing on ideas from his open access book Knowing and Knowing About: Media and Film Studies in Education, Steve opened with a powerful story about his grandfather, a trained carpenter, who eventually became a teacher of woodwork at a school which Steve described as what we might call a PRU these days. However, despite his deep understanding of his craft his grandfather’s knowledge as a craftsman was never fully recognised within formal education. That thread - who gets to decide what counts as knowledge - ran through the whole talk. The book responds directly to the narrowing definitions of 'powerful knowledge' that have dominated educational policy in recent years. It’s also a personal reflection on media education as a space that has always resisted those limits.

One of the central arguments is that media teachers work with a complex, layered form of knowledge that draws on theory, technical skill, creativity and pedagogy. Steve calls this “techno-pedagogy”, and the book gives voice to experienced teachers who demonstrate it every day in their classrooms, often despite policy constraints.

The discussion that followed picked up on some of key points that Steve raised. Colleagues like Dr Michelle Cannon and Jenny Grahame reflected on the importance of starting from what young people already know, rather than assuming a deficit. Others raised the tensions between idealism and realism - what we know is possible, and what is actually permitted under current frameworks.

There was a strong sense in the room (and on screen) that media education remains an urgent, necessary subject, and that The MEA has a key role in advocating for its value. Curriculum reform was discussed, as was the need to resist the pressures of instrumental, AI-proofed, tick-box literacy work. What came through clearly was that media education is still a space where knowledge is questioned, not just delivered.

Steve’s book gives language to things many of us have felt for a long time. It’s available open access from UCL Press here, and it’s already becoming a touchstone for renewed conversations about subject knowledge, media literacy, and teacher agency. The recorded talk is here and transcript below.

MEA AGM .docx

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AGM Updates:

• Steve was very pleased to confirm that Lisa- Hobson and Viki Walden-Richardson will be Co-Chairs of the Exec this year, with Keith Perera being Vice Chair. Thanks so much to them for stepping up to the role. Steve will still be around on the Exec to help out wherever I can. 

• We will be saying goodbye (at least temporarily) to Bethan Thomas and Kirk Campbell as they take on new roles in their respective schools. As Steve said in the meeting on Saturday our great thanks go to them and our best wishes. 

  
  

Actions Agreed

1.        Explore the possibility of holding some regional online hangouts which connect Media teachers together and are hosted by members of Exec or teachers known to members of the exec.

2.        Consider holding an annual conference for teachers with a small registration fee for access to materials.

3.        Develop a kind of "Bibliography" page  with useful research, resources and readings on it that people can refer to.

Follow-ups

• Steve will be organising a meeting with Viki, Lisa and Keith in the next few weeks to hand over all the admin materials that the Chairs need.

• If you came to the meeting in person on Saturday and you need to claim your expenses, please send tickets and receipts to Symon (staquy@gmail.com) 

Final Note from Dr Steve Connolly, the out-going Chair of the MEA.

“Finally, I want to say a big thank you from me to all of your for making the job of Chair a lot easier over the last 6 years. We have had some challenging times for sure, but I have been very grateful for your support. I'm really looking forward to supporting the new chairs and doing some good work for Media and Film teachers in the very near future”

Thank You, Steve

On behalf of our membership, The MEA executive would like to express our genuine appreciation and thanks for the clarity and thoughtful leadership Steve has brought to the role. His leadership, which has spanned a pandemic, policy shifts, curriculum consultations and reviews, and, more recently, a government enquiry- all against a backdrop of significant sector-wide change - has provided The MEA with a lasting direction. From championing teacher knowledge to amplifying the value of our subject, Steve has always led with integrity, commitment, and a compelling vision of what media and film education can and should be.

We’re incredibly pleased that he will continue to be part of the work ahead, and we look forward to the next chapter as we move to new leadership with Viki and Lisa.