Transforming ESL Teachers' Perspective on Media Literacy: An Action Research Project

Transforming ESL teachers' perspective on media literacy: An action research project was carried out at a Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE) public high school in the Metropolitan area. The participants of the study were five ESL teachers. Professional development was the intervention used in this study. The participants were introduced to a media literacy workshop series titled, Media Literacy for You: The Teacher Screener. .;This study supported the following three main goals: (1) to create awareness of media literacy skills among English teachers in the PRDE; (2) to provide professional development including media literacy as an instructional approach to teaching ESL students; and (3) to find out teachers perceptions of media literacy.;The theoretical framework of this study was basically the importance of teaching media literacy. It considered that the way a teacher views the role of media in classroom teaching will, to a large extent, determine the level and degree of its usage. The theoretical framework entailed a discussion of the Puerto Rico Department of Education's English Program, 21st century skills, media literacy, critical pedagogy, and teacher professional development.;The researcher observed and documented the teachers' perception and influence before, during, and after the intervention strategy. Through this systematic process of data collection and analysis this action research allowed for the creation of a learning community and served to renew classroom instruction. The workshops promoted a media literacy development model within the school that can benefit Puerto Rican students in general and enrich the ESL curriculum.