A SHORT HISTORY OF AMES

 

In 1983, media educators from all education sectors throughout Scotland convened at Stirling University to form an association to promote media education: The Association for Media Education in Scotland (AMES). The following year, the Association published a journal, the Media Education Journal, which encouraged and informed debate around questions of theory, practice and teaching strategy for media education. Since then, The Media Education Journal has appeared twice a year.

 

From the earliest days of the association, AMES lobbied the key organisations of Scottish education to promote the aims of the Association. AMES members were heavily involved in establishing what became SCOTVEC modules, the earliest formal media education qualifications in the Scottish system. Later, during the ‘Higher Still’ era, AMES members were responsible for writing the original Arrangements for Media Studies as a National Qualification, and AMES members were heavily involved in the work of the Scottish Qualifications Authority and its predecessors. AMES has also campaigned for a wider definition of what constitutes a “text” to be adopted. This aim has been secured in the Arrangements for Language and Literacy of a Curriculum for Excellence which recognises texts as multimodal and therefore includes all forms of media text. AMES members have also been involved in the design of the latest SQA National and Higher Media qualifications. AMES is currently consulting with SQA on the possibility of a Moving Image National Qualifications and Professional Development Awards in Media/Moving Image.

 

As the subject association for teachers of media education and related disciplines, whether in the discrete subject of Media Studies in media education across different subject boundaries. AMES continues to lobby public bodies such as The Scottish Government Education Department, Education Scotland, Creative Scotland, Ofcom, etc.

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