The opportunistic teacher who embraces the leisure interests of his pupils in the hope of leading them to higher things is as frequently unsympathetic to the really valuable qualities of popular culture as his colleague who remains resolutely hostile. A true training in discrimination is concerned with pleasure.
Bio/Short Description
John Pungente is an educator, film critic, and author is the director of The Jesuit Communication Project and President of the Canadian Association of Media Education Organizations. He influenced a generation of Canadian media literacy educators through his innovative curriculum initiatives, teaching and service. He was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from SIGNIS, the Catholic Association for Communication and Media.
HOW THEY INFLUENCED YOU?
External Links
John Pungente Bio
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Renee Hobbs
In 1994, the superintendent of the Billerica Public Schools wanted to build a cadre of leaders to advance media literacy in the district. We got 30 teachers to sign up and I hired John Pungente to come to give a summer course for these teachers, focusing on the international approach to media literacy education.
John was great with the participating teachers, who taught us all how they learn best. John's warmth and generosity combined with his love of film and media and his respect for classroom teachers. During this time period, my thinking about the practices of staff development changed dramatically because I had to really step away from my own expertise. To empower teachers, I had to completely change the way I taught—and John Pungente helped me learn about the value of activities and questions and open discussion. His approach to teaching media literacy had a great impact on me.
Kara Clayton
I remember John from some of the first media literacy conferences. Always a gentle smile on his face. He was so influential on media literacy in Canada and in the U.S.A. as well.
Frank Baker
I first heard John speak at the media literacy conference in Los Angeles. His depth of knowledge was immense. He has been at the forefront of helping educate Canadians and others understand media literacy. His work and dedication demonstrate his comittment.