ec t
WHAT IS IT?
To be literate is to be able to
understand, exchange, and create
meaning through text, speech and
other forms of language. This is
expanding into other forms of
media, some examples include,
images, film, games, advertising, and
social media. Reading and writing
are vital forms of literacy, but are
not sufficient to be fully literate in
todays world, we must therefore
begin to incorporate other forms of
literacy into the classroom to help
inform students as they navigate an
ever-changing world.
This brochure explores some of the
multiple literacies a Language Arts
teacher will be exposed to in the
classroom and basically states that
it is illogical to oppose multiple-
literacies in the classroom as
denying forms of literature other
than reading or writing printed texts
ignores the culture which your
students live in.
p
AsMULTI-
of g
LITERACIES
in
a ch
te
IDEAS FOR APPLICATION
Gaming Literacy: Badges, character avatars,
FAQ forum, flipped classrooms, quests
Visual Literacy: Design a character's tattoo,
MCKENZIE MATTHEWS,
graffiti wall about words that are important,
JARETT ZENTNER, NICOLE
objects as writing inspiration, mystery box
SOMMERFELD
Communication Literacy: examining online
footprints, critical research/fake news, class
website, social media pages for characters
REFERENCES
Callow, J. (2008). Show Me: Principles for Assessing Students' Visual
Literacy. The Reading Teacher, 61(8), 616-626.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/20204641
Cervetti, G., Damico, J., & Pearson, P. D. (2006). Multiple Literacies, New
Literacies, and Teacher Education. Theory Into Practice, 45(4), 378-386.
doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4504_12
Courtland, M.C., Gambell, T. (2010). Literature, Media & Multiliteracies in
Adolescent Language Arts. Vancouver, BC: Pacific Educational Press.
Kapp, K. (2012) The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-
Based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education (Kindle Version)
Retrieved form Amazon.com
Stokes, S. (2002). Visual Literacy in Teaching and Learning: A Literature
Perspective. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in
Education, 1(1), 10-19. http://www.k12photoed.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/03/Visual_Literacy_stokes.pdf
Zimmerman, E. (2009). Gaming literacy: Game design as a model for
literacy in the twenty-first century.In The Video Game Theory Reader
(Chapter 1). Retrieved from
 GAMING
LITERACY
Gamesandgamingliteracyaskstudentsto
experienceandexperimentwithideas
withinaclosedspacewherefailureisan
option,theyalsoallowstudentstoaskhow
gamesrelatetotheworldoutsidethegame
andcanbeseenasmodelsforlearningand
actionintherealworld.Usinggame
structures,studentscancommunicate
thoughtsandunderstandingsofconcepts
throughamodalitythatmanyarealready
familiarwith.
Teachersareusinggameelementssuchas
timebasedactivities,levellingup,story
telling,avatars,badges,andexperience
pointsGamesandsimulationsyielded
betterlearningattitudescomparedto
traditionalteachingmethods,andseemto
increasemotivationacrossavarietyof
learnergroupsandsituations(Kapp).
VISUAL
LITERACY
Visual Literacy encourages students to think
about images and visuals that constantly
surround us in our 21st century world. Jon communication technologies, students are constantly
Callow notes that texts often use more than
one mode, such as the visual and written
modes on a cereal box; the audio mode for a
podcast; or the audio, visual, written and
gestural modes used with interactive
multimedia(p. 616).
Thinking about the artistic motivations behind
certain images and the connotations of these
decisions students can begin to decipher the
visually dominant world we live in. Visual
literacy describes understanding the
implications of certain choices used such as
colour, composition, form, lines and symbols.
Visual literacy, like language literacy, is
culturally specific although there are universal
symbols or visual images that are globally
understood (Stokes, 13). Students today need
to be able to understand visual messages and
know how to create their own visuals as a way
of communication themselves.
COMMUNICATION
LITERACY
Students today live in a world of communication.
From texting, e-mail, Instagram, and various other
communicating with other people. Teachers must
consider that their students are experts in
responding to literature in various forms of media and
technology long before they ever cross the threshold
of a classroom (Courtland and Gambell 255). The
issue of implementing multiple-literacies into the
classroom is as old as the communication
technologies themselves (even as far back as the radio
and television in the classroom). A study from 2003
expresses that [t]eachers lack of familiarity with
youth literacy practices breeds a persistent
incongruence between students experiences with
literacy inside school and outside (Cervetti 280).
Language Arts teachers today must embrace the
technology students already bring into their
classrooms and assist them in navigating their hyper-
communicative world effectively. It is important to
teach students to be aware of their online footprints
and how their digital presence reflects them.
Furthermore, students need to develop a critical eye
when approaching information and research.
Informing students on the nuances and implications of
language on a global scale becomes a teachers
responsibility in keeping students literate in the world
today.