Page 67 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 8(2) (2020)
P. 67
ia universitatisbling individuals to achieve his or her goals, de- and what texts mean to people who belong to
velop his or her knowledge and potential, and different discourse communities” (New Lon-
digital and multimodal liter acies in for eign language lear ning: theor ies and application 67 participate fully in community and wider socie- don Group 1996). Learners are therefore not just
ty” (UNESCO 2004 and 2011). Above all, liter- mere decoders of language, but creators of mean-
acy is plural: not just because of its evolving defi- ing influenced by the social and cultural con-
nitions, but because it concerns the uses people text surrounding them, by the resources availa-
make of it as a means of communication, prac- ble to them, and by their own attitudes and life
ticed in different context for specific purposes experiences, which is why language teaching,
and through specific languages, via a variety of be it native, second, foreign, needs to support
different media. and promote different types of texts and modes
of expression. The pedagogy of multiliteracies
Literacy is plural identified six elements as pivotal in the mean-
The plurality of literacies is not a new concept ing-making process (linguistic, visual, audio,
per se: two years after coming together to re-ex- gestural, spatial and multimodal) and suggest-
amine the basics of language learning and teach- ed the interaction of four components: situated
ing, the New London Group (NLG) published practice, overt instruction, critical framing and
the manifesto “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: transformative practice. This basically means re-
Designing Social Futures” (1996). Along with framing the four knowledge processes of expe-
several theorists challenging the notion of a sin- riencing, conceptualising, analysing and apply-
gular literacy before them, the group argued ing, in order to create “learning environments in
that a broader view of literacy was necessary, one which the blackboard, textbook, exercise book
which was not confined to the coding of oral or and test are augmented and at times replaced by
written language, but which was instead able digital technologies” (Kalantzis & Cope 2005).
to take into account the proliferation of differ- According to Yi (2014), engaging English Lan-
ent channels and methods of communication guage Learners (ELLs) in multiliteracies-based
brought in by the new information and multi- pedagogies could be beneficial, but such benefits
media technologies, and the growing linguistic are not widely acknowledged yet.
and cultural diversity due to the ever more fre-
quent transnational migrations. The term “Mul- The element of plurality addresses several
tiliteracies” was coined to respond to these two different issues, including the formality of the
emerging significant changes, and to address the learning environment, the more or less tradi-
inherently plural nature of literacy, in terms of tional literacy practices, and so on, but, accord-
discourses and texts as well as of languages and ing to Cole and Pullen (2009), it also strongly
media. Cope and Kalantzis, as former members relates them to the new technological modes of
of the NLG, explain how such a term deals with representation.
the multiple forms of expression, linguistic rep-
resentation, and communication channels and Literacy is multimodal
media, while reflecting the increasing diversity The notion of multiliteracies is exactly what puts
that contemporary multicultural societies offer the concept of multimodality in the foreground
(Cope & Kalantzis 2000). as a key construct within literacy research (Kress
& van Leeuwen 2001). Multimodality is con-
While multiliteracies was initially formu- cerned with how individuals make meaning
lated as a general principle for schools and teach- and how it is constructed through several dif-
ers to follow, the NLG proposed a new literacy ferent modes and resources which can be both
pedagogy, where literacy and literacy teaching combined and presented via multiple differ-
no longer focused on “what texts mean in an ab- ent media. Multimodality, Rowsell and Walsh
solute sense, [but] what people mean by texts, explain, “comes first in that it informs how we
velop his or her knowledge and potential, and different discourse communities” (New Lon-
digital and multimodal liter acies in for eign language lear ning: theor ies and application 67 participate fully in community and wider socie- don Group 1996). Learners are therefore not just
ty” (UNESCO 2004 and 2011). Above all, liter- mere decoders of language, but creators of mean-
acy is plural: not just because of its evolving defi- ing influenced by the social and cultural con-
nitions, but because it concerns the uses people text surrounding them, by the resources availa-
make of it as a means of communication, prac- ble to them, and by their own attitudes and life
ticed in different context for specific purposes experiences, which is why language teaching,
and through specific languages, via a variety of be it native, second, foreign, needs to support
different media. and promote different types of texts and modes
of expression. The pedagogy of multiliteracies
Literacy is plural identified six elements as pivotal in the mean-
The plurality of literacies is not a new concept ing-making process (linguistic, visual, audio,
per se: two years after coming together to re-ex- gestural, spatial and multimodal) and suggest-
amine the basics of language learning and teach- ed the interaction of four components: situated
ing, the New London Group (NLG) published practice, overt instruction, critical framing and
the manifesto “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: transformative practice. This basically means re-
Designing Social Futures” (1996). Along with framing the four knowledge processes of expe-
several theorists challenging the notion of a sin- riencing, conceptualising, analysing and apply-
gular literacy before them, the group argued ing, in order to create “learning environments in
that a broader view of literacy was necessary, one which the blackboard, textbook, exercise book
which was not confined to the coding of oral or and test are augmented and at times replaced by
written language, but which was instead able digital technologies” (Kalantzis & Cope 2005).
to take into account the proliferation of differ- According to Yi (2014), engaging English Lan-
ent channels and methods of communication guage Learners (ELLs) in multiliteracies-based
brought in by the new information and multi- pedagogies could be beneficial, but such benefits
media technologies, and the growing linguistic are not widely acknowledged yet.
and cultural diversity due to the ever more fre-
quent transnational migrations. The term “Mul- The element of plurality addresses several
tiliteracies” was coined to respond to these two different issues, including the formality of the
emerging significant changes, and to address the learning environment, the more or less tradi-
inherently plural nature of literacy, in terms of tional literacy practices, and so on, but, accord-
discourses and texts as well as of languages and ing to Cole and Pullen (2009), it also strongly
media. Cope and Kalantzis, as former members relates them to the new technological modes of
of the NLG, explain how such a term deals with representation.
the multiple forms of expression, linguistic rep-
resentation, and communication channels and Literacy is multimodal
media, while reflecting the increasing diversity The notion of multiliteracies is exactly what puts
that contemporary multicultural societies offer the concept of multimodality in the foreground
(Cope & Kalantzis 2000). as a key construct within literacy research (Kress
& van Leeuwen 2001). Multimodality is con-
While multiliteracies was initially formu- cerned with how individuals make meaning
lated as a general principle for schools and teach- and how it is constructed through several dif-
ers to follow, the NLG proposed a new literacy ferent modes and resources which can be both
pedagogy, where literacy and literacy teaching combined and presented via multiple differ-
no longer focused on “what texts mean in an ab- ent media. Multimodality, Rowsell and Walsh
solute sense, [but] what people mean by texts, explain, “comes first in that it informs how we
