Faculty Reads: Advertising to Children

When it comes to advertising tactics, it’s challenging enough for adults to spot the schemes and resist buying into sales pitches. Do the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society even stand a chance?

That question is at the heart of Dr. Fran Blumberg’s newly-published Advertising to Children: New Directions, New Media (Palgrave-MacMillan, 2014), which was co-edited by Drs. Barrie Gunter (University of Leicester, U.K.), Mark Blades, and Caroline Oates (both University of Sheffield, U.K.).

“Vulnerable audiences, such as kids, may not be aware that they are being subjected to advertising,” said Blumberg, an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education. “[It’s now] another aspect of the child's environment that they are increasingly exposed to which probably requires their understanding of the goal of marketers — that is, that they want you to buy their product and may make false claims or present unrealistic imagery associated with their product to make it desirable.”

Because of this increased exposure, especially to new “stealth techniques” that target youth, there is an urgent need to study how advertising affects development, Blumberg said. And yet, despite this growing need, there is a dearth of information about the impact of new-age advertising on kids.

“The goal of the text is to understand the factors that contribute to children’s understanding of advertising, and elucidate at which point in [their growth] that [they develop an] understanding of advertising messages,” she said.

The book covers an array of topics surrounding children and advertising, including how children are affected by advertising for food and alcohol products, whether children are developmentally capable of identifying messages as persuasive, and what parents and educators can do to teach kids to become more critical of advertisements.

The book also discusses the ramifications of “stealth advertising,” such as embedded commercial messages in television shows and new forms of media that influence children without their conscious awareness. An example of the latter is the practice of “advergaming,” or the use video games to promote products or services — for instance, a cereal company that makes a game involving collecting pieces of the cereal for points.

“The message [in the book] is that children and adolescents… may be best served through media literacy, which includes understanding the persuasive intent of advertising and advertisers,” Blumberg said.

— Joanna K. Mercuri

Fordham Faculty in the Field: Serving Bilingual Education Classrooms

Diane Rodriguez

The High School for Health Careers and Sciences in the Washington Heights section of New York City offers students the opportunity to learn in their native language.

Diane Rodriguez, Ph.D., associate professor at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education (GSE), researches bilingual education, and in this video, she observes a class in action at the northern Manhattan school. In the video, she says that programs like this affirm the diversity of the students, develop critical thinking skills in two languages, manifest a positive classroom environment, and foster inclusion and participation of all students.

The high school’s Transitional Bilingual Program provides students with instruction in their native language in order to ensure students don’t fall behind in content areas while learning English.

“When schools promote the development of bilingual students’ first language,” says Rodriguez, “students tend to experience academic success.”

Watch the entire video below, and for more on multilingual education programs at GSE, visit the Fordham website.

-Rachel Roman

Needs of Bilingual Special-Education Students are Topic of Summer Institute

A five-day event starting July 1 at Fordham will offer parents and educators an in-depth look at how best to teach special-needs children who are learning English as a second language.

The Graduate School of Education will host the Bilingual Special Education Summer Institute at the Lincoln Center campus from July 1 to 3, and on July 7 and 8.

The institute “will provide an overview of the latest research-based knowledge on effective practices for learners diverse in culture and ability,” according to a brochure. Experts in bilingual education will present on several topics including strategies for bilingual special education students, the ways in which teachers can use students’ native languages to promote learning, and the importance of bilingual special education.

Diane Rodriguez, Ph.D.

“Research shows that teachers working in urban settings must be prepared to implement both theoretically sound and culturally responsive teaching because their students are extremely diverse in culture, language, ability/disability, and socioeconomic status,” said Diane Rodriguez, Ph.D., associate professor at GSE, in an interview posted on the graduate school’s blog.

Of the more than 150,000 English language learners in the New York City school system, 22 percent are special-needs students, she said.

The institute is open to educators, graduate students, parents, school psychologists, school counselors, administrators, and professionals in the area of special education. The registration options include single-day attendance and professional development credits.

“Bridging the intersection of bilingual and special education will provide insights into the multifaceted complexity of language, culture, and the continuum of ability/disability for positive social, affective, cognitive, and academic outcomes,” Rodriguez said.