This lesson plan is designed to help students understand the essential steps for establishing a refugee media operation in exile, encompassing legal, editorial, and operational frameworks.
It’s based on the article ‘Setting up refugee media in exile‘ which we recommend trainers read before adapting this lesson plan for your own purposes.
Learning objective
Students will evaluate the necessary steps to establish a refugee media operation in exile, focusing on legal, editorial, and operational aspects. They will also analyse the challenges and strategies for building a sustainable media organisation within refugee communities.
- Student-facing objective: By the end of this lesson the student will be able to assess what it takes to start a media operation in exile, including understanding laws, creating content, and managing resources.
- Standards: This lesson plan provides a set of guidelines for anyone setting up a refugee media operation in exile.
Learning activities
Warm-up
Begin with a brief discussion on the role of media in society. Ask students to think about the different types of media they encounter daily and their purposes. Prompt them with questions like:
- What are some examples of media you interact with regularly?
- How does media influence your understanding of the world?
Encourage students to share their thoughts with a partner. After a few minutes, ask volunteers to share insights with the class. This will activate prior knowledge about media’s role and set the stage for exploring refugee media.
Direct instruction
- Understanding local laws: Introduce the importance of knowing local laws for refugee media operations. Discuss how legal restrictions can impact media reach and revenue generation. Use a hypothetical scenario where students must identify potential legal challenges in a host country. Guide them to consider laws affecting refugees, media restrictions, and advertisement limitations. Provide solution steps for analysing legal texts and consulting with legal authorities.
- Building the right team: Explain the significance of assembling a dedicated team for a refugee media operation. Highlight the need for commitment over formal education. Present a case study of a successful refugee media team, focusing on their diverse skills and roles. Ask students to outline the ideal team composition for a media operation, considering technical skills, legal knowledge, and community engagement. Provide solution steps for evaluating team member strengths and assigning roles.
- Editorial pProposition and newsgathering: Discuss the process of defining an editorial proposition and gathering news. Emphasise the importance of understanding audience needs and maintaining editorial ethics. Use a real-world example of a refugee media outlet’s editorial focus and news coverage strategy. Have students draft a basic editorial plan, including language, publication frequency, and content sections. Provide solution steps for conducting audience research and developing a newsgathering strategy.
Guided practice
Think, Pair, Share: Facilitate a collaborative activity where students apply their understanding of setting up a refugee media operation.
- Think: Ask students to individually list three key challenges they anticipate when establishing a refugee media operation in exile. Encourage them to consider legal, editorial, and operational aspects.
- Pair: Have students pair up to discuss their lists. Instruct them to compare their challenges and brainstorm potential solutions or strategies to address these issues.
- Share: Invite pairs to share their findings with the class. Encourage them to highlight unique challenges and innovative solutions they discussed.
- Class discussion: Lead a class discussion to gather the shared ideas. Focus on identifying common themes and effective strategies for overcoming challenges in refugee media operations.
- Reflection: Conclude with a brief reflection where students write down one new insight they gained from the activity and how it might influence their approach to media operations in exile.
Independent practice
- Research exercise: Direct students to research a real-world example of a refugee media operation. Have them identify the legal, editorial, and operational challenges faced by the organisation. Provide a list of potential sources or databases where they can find relevant information.
- Case study analysis: Assign students a case study of a successful refugee media outlet. Ask them to analyse the strategies used to overcome challenges and build a sustainable operation. Encourage them to focus on team building, audience engagement, and fundraising efforts.
- Strategic planning task: Instruct students to create a strategic plan for a hypothetical refugee media operation. They should outline steps for understanding local laws, building a team, and defining an editorial proposition. Encourage them to consider distribution methods and digital presence.
- Peer review: Have students exchange their strategic plans with a peer for feedback. Instruct them to provide constructive criticism on the feasibility and creativity of the proposed strategies.
- Reflection: Ask students to write a brief reflection on what they learned from the research and planning activities. Encourage them to consider how these insights could be applied to real-world scenarios.
Assignment
Ask students these questions:
- What is one legal challenge a refugee media operation might face in a host country?
- How can building the right team contribute to the success of a refugee media operation?
- What’s one question you still have from today’s lesson?
Suggested answers:
- Suggested answer to Question 1: Understanding and complying with local laws affecting refugees and media operations.
- Suggested answer to Question 2: A dedicated team ensures diverse skills, commitment, and effective community engagement.
Teacher resources
Differentiation guide
- Advanced learners: Encourage them to delve deeper into the complexities of legal frameworks affecting refugee media. Suggest they explore case studies of media operations in different countries, comparing legal challenges and strategies. Challenge them to propose innovative solutions for digital distribution and audience engagement.
- Striving learners: Provide additional support by breaking down complex concepts into simpler terms. Use visual aids to illustrate the steps in setting up a media operation. Pair them with peers for collaborative tasks, ensuring they have opportunities to ask questions and clarify doubts. Offer guided templates for strategic planning tasks to scaffold their learning process.
- Recommended reading: This lesson plan is based on the article ‘Setting up refugee media in exile‘ which we recommend trainers read before adapting this lesson plan for your own purposes.
Notable definitions
- Refugee media: Media operations established by refugee communities to inform and engage their members while in exile. These operations often focus on issues pertinent to the refugee experience and aim to maintain cultural connections.
- Editorial proposition: A clear statement outlining the focus, values, and goals of a media operation. It guides content creation and ensures alignment with the audience’s needs and the organisation’s mission.
- Distribution strategy: The plan for delivering media content to the target audience. This includes methods for reaching readers, such as physical distribution in refugee camps or digital dissemination to a broader audience.
Required materials
- Computers or tablets with internet access
- Case study materials (printed or digital)
- Whiteboard and markers
- Notebooks and pens for student reflections
- Access to online databases or resources for research
- Peer review feedback forms
Lesson summary
- Warm-up
- Direct instruction
- Guided practice
- Independent practice
- Assignment
The free teaching tools at the Khan Academy were used in the production of this lesson plan.
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