Running head: MULTIMODAL LITERACY !

Multimodal Literacy in the English Language Arts Classroom

Roxanne Loving

Gardner-Webb University
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Bailey, N. M., & Carroll, K. M. (2010). Motivating students' research skills and interests through

a multimodal, multigenre research project. English Journal, 99(6), 78-85. Retrieved from

http://ezproxy.gardner-webb.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.gardner-

webb.edu/docview/577303595?accountid=11041.

As a ninth grade English teacher, Kristen Carroll explains and evaluates a

multimodal, multigenre research paper used in her classroom to engage students through

the use of authentic topic selection and new literacies instruction. The project, which asks

students to conduct research and present findings through different mulitgenre or

multimodal choices, builds upon student understanding of reading and writing as

multimodal processes and encourages them to analyze literature, conduct research, and

compose through multimodal methods. Nancy Bailey contributes to this evaluation by

discussing the implication of the project through the eyes of a teacher educator, agreeing

that this project fosters higher student engagement and critical thinking than more

traditional research projects.

By focusing on only one multimodal project in the article, Bailey and Carroll

provide English educators with a concrete, thorough example of the development of

multimodal literacy in a classroom setting. Using the systems described for creating and

facilitating a multimodal project, including scaffolding, planning, and revision, teachers

can implement similar projects and techniques in their classrooms. The project discussed

is also easily adaptable for other topics and classes and is highly relevant to any

classroom in which students are asked to analyze texts and conduct research.
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Jewitt, C. (2005). Multimodality, Reading, and Writing for the 21st Century. Discourse:

Studies In The Cultural Politics Of Education, 26(3), 315-331. doi:

10.1080/01596300500200011.

Through an examination of the use of words and images in a variety of digital

technologies (computer applications, digital texts, and video games), Jewitt emphasizes

the need for literacy instruction and research to focus not on only on traditional linear

formats and printed texts, in which the written word is foregrounded, but also on the

multimodality of texts and the ways in which words, images, and the process of

engaging with digital texts impacts meaning. Jewitt posits that because reading and

writing are longstanding multimodal practices, the multimodal literacy of todays student

both inside and outside the classroommust be acknowledged and embedded within

a newly defined view of school literacy.

Jewitts work is influential in promoting reading and writing instruction that

aligns with the twenty-first century literacy skills that will be demanded of students in a

digital society. Moreover, Jewitts analysis of specific technological aspects of digital

texts (fonts, the prominence of visuals, and the implication of these elements) provides

English teachers with items for analysis in the classroom. Analyzing the role of such

elements in the meaning-making process could prove beneficial in students reading and

writing processes, in which they are using digital technologies to both analyze and create

multimodal texts. Furthermore, Jewitts argument for literacy to reflect the multimodal

systems that are relevant to twenty-first century learners reminds educators and policy

makers of the need for authentic learning experiences.

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Miller, S. M., Knips, M. A., & Goss, S. (2013). Changing the game of literature with authentic

assessment: The promise of multimodal composing. English Journal, 103(1), 88-94.

Retrieved from http://ezproxy.gardner-webb.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.ezproxy.gardner-webb.edu/docview/1442779124?accountid=11041.

Millet et al. discuss the use of digital video composing as a multimodal literacy

practice that can be implemented in a classroom not only as an authentic assessment of

student learning but also as a learning tool that reflects the embodied process that

scientific research shows is the most effective way to learn. Multimodal digital video

composing had positive impacts on students in the case studies presented in the article: in

both reading (using video to analyze literature) and composing (creating videos)

practices, multimodal activities encouraged students to actively participate in the task,

understand and embrace the purpose of the learning task, and extend the skills learned to

other tasks such as state tests.

For teachers who feel that multimodal literacy practices cannot align with

preparation for standardized testing, Miller et al. present a convincing account of the

positive impacts of digital video composing as one multimodal practice to enhance

students digital and analytical literacy skills. Examples provided create an honest and

realistic overview of the multimodal project in classroom practice. By discussing the

pressures of testing, Miller et al. encourage teachers to recognize that multimodal

learning can also enhance traditional literacy skills and student engagement; this specific

connection is important for todays English teachers who must bridge multimodal and

twenty-first century literacy skills with the varied demands of the classroom and

educational policy.