Page 70 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 8(2) (2020)
P. 70
their future careers and experiences, thus en-studia universitatis hereditati, letnik 8 (2020), številka 2 70count for meaning; different modes use differ-
couraging lifelong learning. Other studies have ent resources to fulfil communicative needs; and
worked with filmic media in order to better de-hereditati modes (such as visual, audio, gestural) concur
velop translingual and transcultural competenc- together, in different ways, to make meaning. In
es while promoting critical literacy and enhanc- the specific context of language education, mul-
ing multimodal competences (Goulah 2007; timodal practices could promote content learn-
Kaiser 2011; Brown, Iwasaki & Lee 2016). Gan- ing and help young learners develop academic
apathy (2014) has investigated whether a Mul- literacy as well as multimodal communicative
tiliteracies Approach is able to transform con- competence (Early and Marshall 2008; Pirb-
ventional learning settings into a more relevant hai-Illich, Turner and Austin 2009). Smythe
environment. This study confirmed the effec- and Neufeld (2010), however, argue that differ-
tiveness of said approach, as did previous find- ent multimodal aspects are not yet easily inte-
ings from related studies (Shuhaimi 2004; Gra- grated with the learning outcomes prescribed
bill & Hicks 2005; Tan & Mc William 2009), by the single national curricula frameworks.
and implied that it should be considered for fu- Godwin-Jones (2016), for example, calls atten-
ture curriculum organization in the ESL class- tion to the increasing importance of digital lit-
room. Choi (2015), for example, found that the eracy, pointing out that teachers should be “pre-
multiliteracies curriculum increased the stu- paring students for a globalized, multilingual
dents’ motivation to read. However, the road to- world”, and the International Society for Tech-
wards multimodal literacies in the classroom is nology in Education [ISTE] (2012), defining the
still a long one: while the multiliteracies pedago- standards of excellence with technology for var-
gy has been gaining attention when it comes to ious stakeholders in education, developed five
some of the more commonly taught languages, ISTE Standards for teachers to follow in order
Brown et. al (2016) argue that more studies need to engage their students while promoting digi-
to be conducted in the case of less commonly tal work and learning. Within a literacy educa-
taught ones. Also, despite going through signif- tion environment, Bogard & McMackin (2012)
icant changes already, the fact that most of the defined innovation with technology as those
current available textbooks are not structured in “practices for making meaning that transcend
such a way as to meet the requisites of a multilit- language and include photography, art, music,
eracies context clearly increases the problem. The video, or audio representations”, including stu-
need to implement literacy-oriented foreign lan- dent-produced products, such as digital stories
guage programmes is highlighted by suggesting (McAdams & Gentry 2014) and movies (Young
that instructors supplement existing textbooks & Rasinski 2013). Integrating digital gaming and
with their own multiliteracies-oriented lessons social media can also increase the students’ en-
(Barrette et al. 2010, Paesani et al. 2015) and tar- gagement with texts (Reinhardt, Warner and
get strategies to fit a multiliteracies framework. Lange 2014; Warner & Richardson 2017). Leung
One of the first textbooks to introduce teach- et al. (2012) and Lopez-Islas (2013), amongst oth-
ers and language educators to a multiliteracies ers, analysed the relationship between Internet
frame of reference was published by Paesani, Al- literacy and digital literacy, respectively, and ac-
len, and Dupuy in 2015. ademic performance: although other case stud-
ies ended up obtaining unclear results, they both
As for multimodality, the phenomenon is found that better ICT access and knowledge can
approached through different theoretical per- positively impact on academic performance.
spectives, but they all more or less hinge on
four basic assumptions (Jewitt 2014), according The examination of recent existing stud-
to which all communication is multimodal; a ies has certainly provided us with a clearer pic-
merely linguistic analysis cannot adequately ac- ture of the direction research is moving in, but
couraging lifelong learning. Other studies have ent resources to fulfil communicative needs; and
worked with filmic media in order to better de-hereditati modes (such as visual, audio, gestural) concur
velop translingual and transcultural competenc- together, in different ways, to make meaning. In
es while promoting critical literacy and enhanc- the specific context of language education, mul-
ing multimodal competences (Goulah 2007; timodal practices could promote content learn-
Kaiser 2011; Brown, Iwasaki & Lee 2016). Gan- ing and help young learners develop academic
apathy (2014) has investigated whether a Mul- literacy as well as multimodal communicative
tiliteracies Approach is able to transform con- competence (Early and Marshall 2008; Pirb-
ventional learning settings into a more relevant hai-Illich, Turner and Austin 2009). Smythe
environment. This study confirmed the effec- and Neufeld (2010), however, argue that differ-
tiveness of said approach, as did previous find- ent multimodal aspects are not yet easily inte-
ings from related studies (Shuhaimi 2004; Gra- grated with the learning outcomes prescribed
bill & Hicks 2005; Tan & Mc William 2009), by the single national curricula frameworks.
and implied that it should be considered for fu- Godwin-Jones (2016), for example, calls atten-
ture curriculum organization in the ESL class- tion to the increasing importance of digital lit-
room. Choi (2015), for example, found that the eracy, pointing out that teachers should be “pre-
multiliteracies curriculum increased the stu- paring students for a globalized, multilingual
dents’ motivation to read. However, the road to- world”, and the International Society for Tech-
wards multimodal literacies in the classroom is nology in Education [ISTE] (2012), defining the
still a long one: while the multiliteracies pedago- standards of excellence with technology for var-
gy has been gaining attention when it comes to ious stakeholders in education, developed five
some of the more commonly taught languages, ISTE Standards for teachers to follow in order
Brown et. al (2016) argue that more studies need to engage their students while promoting digi-
to be conducted in the case of less commonly tal work and learning. Within a literacy educa-
taught ones. Also, despite going through signif- tion environment, Bogard & McMackin (2012)
icant changes already, the fact that most of the defined innovation with technology as those
current available textbooks are not structured in “practices for making meaning that transcend
such a way as to meet the requisites of a multilit- language and include photography, art, music,
eracies context clearly increases the problem. The video, or audio representations”, including stu-
need to implement literacy-oriented foreign lan- dent-produced products, such as digital stories
guage programmes is highlighted by suggesting (McAdams & Gentry 2014) and movies (Young
that instructors supplement existing textbooks & Rasinski 2013). Integrating digital gaming and
with their own multiliteracies-oriented lessons social media can also increase the students’ en-
(Barrette et al. 2010, Paesani et al. 2015) and tar- gagement with texts (Reinhardt, Warner and
get strategies to fit a multiliteracies framework. Lange 2014; Warner & Richardson 2017). Leung
One of the first textbooks to introduce teach- et al. (2012) and Lopez-Islas (2013), amongst oth-
ers and language educators to a multiliteracies ers, analysed the relationship between Internet
frame of reference was published by Paesani, Al- literacy and digital literacy, respectively, and ac-
len, and Dupuy in 2015. ademic performance: although other case stud-
ies ended up obtaining unclear results, they both
As for multimodality, the phenomenon is found that better ICT access and knowledge can
approached through different theoretical per- positively impact on academic performance.
spectives, but they all more or less hinge on
four basic assumptions (Jewitt 2014), according The examination of recent existing stud-
to which all communication is multimodal; a ies has certainly provided us with a clearer pic-
merely linguistic analysis cannot adequately ac- ture of the direction research is moving in, but
