The rapid development of digitalization has enriched ways of textualization,which in turn has prompted scholars in the writing sector to call for broadening the perspective of composition teaching by ...including multimodal literacy in the program. While I agree that it is necessary to adjust the writing program in light of the development, I argue that for L2 writing courses the focus should still be on the language since it is the language that has frustrated L2 students most in their writing in English.
Multimodal literacy is seen as an integral part of 21st century learning since children are growing withvarious modes of communication in their daily life. Despite its significance emphasized in the ...nationalcurriculum, the study about multimodal literacy in English classrooms in Indonesia is still limited. Thisstudy aimed to expose the incorporation of multimodal literacy into English classrooms from the perspectiveof elementary and middle schools’ English teachers across Indonesia. This research was conducted throughan online questionnaire distributed through WhatsApp. There were sixty-one English teachers fromdifferent regions in Indonesia who volunteered to participate. A descriptive qualitative approach was usedto analyze the data to understand teachers’ perspectives and challenges of integrating multimodal literacy inEnglish classrooms. The study revealed that the majority of participants had the awareness of multimodalliteracy in the digital era. Moreover, they held positive attitudes towards the integration of multimodalliteracy in English classrooms even though there were limitations, such as the lack of school facilities,teachers’ understanding in effective strategies and teachers’ skills in using technologies. The teachersalso realized that multimodal literacy has been highlighted in the national curriculum, yet they havenot fully understood the concept of multimodal literacy. This study contributes to the understanding ofmultimodal literacy in English classrooms, that despite the positive attitudes and opportunities to integratemultimodal literacy in English classrooms, there is still a wide area for improvement. Thus, teachers’professional development should promote effective strategies to include multimodal literacy in Englishlanguage classrooms in response to the curriculum reform.
ESP students need to develop their multimodal literacy to become literate in today's professional spaces. For this purpose, ESP teachers should revisit pedagogy practices to best engage students in ...the navigation and construction of multimodal genres. As a case in point, we explore PechaKucha (PK) presentations. This multimodal genre consists of 20 slides, which are automatically advanced every 20 s. PK presentations entail a complex format that requires speakers to choose how to convey content, design suitable visuals, and engage audiences. The dataset for the study consists of 7 PK presentations delivered during a social event at an architecture conference. Adopting a multimodal discourse analysis lens, we analyse this set of PK presentations in terms of rhetorical structure and the way in which intersemiotic relations unfolded (synchronisation between speech and visuals and the modal density of slides). The analysis demonstrates that PK presentations entail an intricate multimodal composition consisting of three moves in which professional and personal narratives intertwine. The examination of intersemiotic relations reveals how speech and visuals interplay effectively to transmit meaning and engage the audience. The results of this study provide critical information to design a research-informed pedagogy to enhance ESP students' multimodal literacy.
•PechaKucha (PK) presentations involve a complex dynamism of semiotic resources.•PK presentations are organised into set-up, topic development and closing moves.•Low modal density of slides and synchronisation of speech and visuals prevail.•Intersemiotic relations may favour audience's comprehension and engagement.•Research-informed pedagogy to enhance multimodal literacy in ESP contexts.
•Review of linguistic features and grammatical difficulties of scientific English.•Discussion of grammatical features of mathematical symbolic notation and mathematical images and associated ...difficulties, and comparison with linguistic features.•Discussion of the integration of language, mathematics symbolism and images in mathematics texts and the nature of spoken language in mathematics classrooms and associated difficulties.•Development of the concept of a ‘multimodal register’ for mathematics to complement the existing language-based conceptualization of register.•Implications of a multimodal approach for teaching and learning mathematics.
The aim is to develop a multimodal (i.e. multisemiotic) approach to the mathematics register, where language is considered as one resource, often a secondary one, which operates in conjunction with mathematical symbolism and images to create meaning in mathematics. For this purpose, the linguistic features and grammatical difficulties of scientific English are reviewed and compared to the grammatical features of mathematical symbolic notation and mathematical images. From here, the integration of language, mathematics symbolism and images in mathematics texts and the nature of spoken language in mathematics classrooms and associated difficulties are explored. The approach leads to the notion of a ‘multimodal register’ for mathematics to complement the existing language-based conceptualization of register. The multimodal approach has significant implications for teaching and learning mathematics and the development of strategies for mastering the mathematics register for the effective communication of mathematical knowledge.
In this article, we explore our concern with the way youth identities and literacy research and practices are framed through a dominant conceptual paradigm in new literacy studies, namely, as ...articulated in the 1996 New London Group’s “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures.” More than any other text, “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies” streams powerfully through doctoral programs, edited volumes, books, journal reviews, and calls for conference papers, as the central manifesto of the new literacies movement. In what follows, we draw heavily from the work of Deleuze and Guattari to take issue with the New London Group’s disciplined rationalization of youth engagement in literacies. We organize our critical exploration of “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies” around Lee, a 10-year-old boy we follow through one day as he engages in reading and playing with text from Japanese manga. Our goal with this rereading is to reassert the sensations and movements of the body in the moment-by-moment unfolding or emergence of activity. This nonrepresentational approach describes literacy-related activity not as projected toward some textual end point but as living its life in the ongoing present, forming relations and connections across signs, objects, and bodies in often unexpected ways. Such activity is saturated with affect and emotion; it creates and is fed by an ongoing series of affective intensities that are different from the rational control of meanings and forms. It helps us to keep the distinction between description and prescription sharp and to begin imagining what else might be going on.
Research into the contribution of multimodality to language learning is gaining momentum. While most studies pave the way for new understandings of language teaching and learning, there is an ...increasing demand for comprehensive assessment practices, particularly within higher education contexts. A few studies have emphasized the importance of reflecting on and establishing criteria for the assessment of multimodal literacy. This is necessary to understand students’ contributions in detail and to provide them with effective support in developing their multimodal skills. This study discusses the assessment of multimodal writing in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) contexts. It presents the design of an analytical tool for assessing multimodal texts and provided an example of its application. This tool covers assessment categories such as language use, content expression, interpersonal meaning, multimodality, and creativity and originality. As an example, we focus on the multimodal writing of a video game narrative, a genre that requires the integration of multiple modes of communication to convey meaning more effectively. Finally, this study offers pedagogical insights into the assessment of multimodal literacy in ESP.
•Development of a rubric for multimodal assessment in ESP written assignments.•Comprehensive and holistic approach helps assess multimodal assignments.•Pedagogical insights into ESP multimodal literacy assessment.
The need for digital technology involvement in education is increasingly apparent, so learning techniques are required to be prepared in various digital formats. Using digital learning materials ...enables teachers to implement the current concept of literacy, i.e., multimodal literacy. This study aims to find out the students' need for digital literacy and their perceptions of using the Roblox game as the learning media to improve their multimodal literacy. This descriptive study used a survey method, taking the second-year junior high school students in the 2021-2022 academic year in one of the state junior high schools in Medan, Indonesia as the respondents. The data were collected using two sets of closed-ended questionnaires. The data obtained from the first questionnaire were analyzed using a forced choice technique for yes or no answers, while the data obtained from the second questionnaire were analyzed using a 4-Point Likert Scale. The results indicate the students' need for digital literacy and their good perceptions of using Roblox as the learning media in improving their English multimodal literacy. It is concluded that teaching English at junior high school is expected to be designed in a digital format by involving games as the media, facilitating the students to improve their English multimodal literacy.
•Multimodal pedagogies in the English classroom tend to include engagement with multimodal texts from students’ lifeworld.•Critical, creative and culturally responsive multimodal pedagogies, explicit ...teaching of multimodal literacy are often observed.•A focus on affect in multimodal learning is emerging.•Concerns over multimodal assessment remains perennial.
A number of systematic reviews on multimodal pedagogies in English language classrooms were conducted from the 1990s to early 2010s. However, there is no recent review examining the thematic issues related to multimodal pedagogies in the English language classroom. This systematic review addresses this gap by examining research articles published from 2010 to 2021 on multimodal pedagogies in the primary and secondary English language classrooms. A qualitative thematic analysis of 98 articles gathered from the search uncovered five common themes including engagement with multimodal texts from students’ lifeworld, the use of critical, creative and culturally responsive multimodal pedagogies, explicit teaching of multimodal literacy, affect in multimodal learning, and concerns over multimodal assessment. The article discusses these themes in relation to the thematic findings of existing review studies with the same focus of multimodality in the English language classroom, and proposes directions for future research.
In the wake of grim events such as Russian invasion on Ukraine, Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the death of George Floyd in America and mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, all occurring ...amid the pandemic of COVID‐19, it became increasingly more important to recognise literacy work that promotes a critically informed and just society. Thus, through the lens of critical literacy and intersectionality, this study sought to examine how pre‐service teachers drew on critical multimodal literacy practices to create open educational resources (OER) or openly licensed comics that motivate local, global and/or transnational literacy education. Data collection took place at a four‐year public university in Upstate New York. They included student‐created comics, student reflections, researcher's fieldnotes and course syllabus. Findings from the study reveal that the pre‐service teachers incorporated either a local, global or transnational connection to enact a social change. Further analysis shows that the OER or student‐created comics inherently involve actions which are aligned with the three principles of social justice: redistributive justice, recognitive justice and representational justice.