In search of third spaces in media education: an ethnographic study from fifth graders’ media workshop

Abstract

Media educators and researchers call for learner‐centred, bottom‐up pedagogical approaches, which take into account learners’ own cultures, knowledge and experiences. Nevertheless, there seem to be gaps between traditional, authoritarian school culture and the interactive, creative media culture that is a significant part of youngsters’ lives today. How then to bridge gaps between these two cultures? This article suggests that the idea of third spaces could be regarded as a way to go beyond these binaries in media education. The article reports an ethnographic case study from a media production workshop carried out in a Finnish comprehensive school with 11–12 year‐old youngsters and their teacher. Based on this study, I discuss how third spaces could be created in media production practices in the school context.