Page 73 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 8(2) (2020)
P. 73
ia universitatisal decree number 211 of 7 October 2010) as re- tion of recent studies within the language educa-
gards foreign language teaching and learning in tion field and the approaches introduced in the
digital and multimodal liter acies in for eign language lear ning: theor ies and application 73 upper secondary schools, no reference is made to classroom to help students develop multilayered,
the concept of literacy, nor to the many possible digital and multimodal literacies. Moreover, in
different methods and approaches related to it, a situation like the present one, the spread of a
proving not much has changed in the last fifteen global pandemic has forced schools and teach-
years. Technology also is not taken much into ers everywhere to willingly or unwillingly put
consideration: it is only highlighted how, over into practice different types of teaching, meth-
their last two school years, the students will be ods and approaches, and has demonstrated the
asked to use the new information and commu- importance (if not the essentiality) of different,
nication technologies to do research, deepen lin- wider and elastic skills, which deal with differ-
guistic and non-linguistic topics, express them- ent tools and devices and which conceive both
selves creatively and communicate with foreign teaching and learning as the result of a multilay-
interlocutors. ered set of modalities, sensory systems and semi-
otic modes. Being more prepared in this regard
Conclusions and direction for future would certainly have facilitated such transition,
research and would have made it a smoother, education-
Analysing and selecting theories and research ally valid experience, instead of a difficult pallia-
has brought to our attention how wide this field tive. The first step, therefore, is to try to compare
actually is and how many branches have already what current research suggests and what schools
been developed, each taking specific subtopics are actually working on, to see what needs to
into consideration. However, it has also high- be adjusted. Further research in this field could
lighted some critical issues, as we have seen be- therefore move in the direction of trying and
fore, as well as some discrepancies between the concretise, within the limits of the restrictions
research and studies that have been carried out dictated by programs, curricula and so on, those
within the framework of language education and theories that, for now, have largely remained ab-
the reality of foreign (second) language learning stract, thus allowing the school system to keep
within the school system. In order not to create up with a rapidly changing society.
a wide fracture between theory and mainstream
practice, it is necessary for future research to fo- Summary
cus on the effective application of the results ob-
tained from the many studies in the everyday This article explores the concept of literacy in the con-
school reality. It would certainly be important to text of foreign and second language learning in a formal
analyse how a plural approach to literacies might educational context, reporting some of the best-known
affect groups of students with different cultural definitions and highlighting their evolution over time.
and linguistic backgrounds, or the management Specifically, the aspects of plurality and multimodali-
of mixed-ability classes and so forth, but above ty vis-à-vis literacy are first taken into consideration, be-
all it is necessary to understand what is actually fore moving on to the digital environment, and to the
being done in the language classroom and how analysis of the role literacy holds within the school sys-
to speed up the transition from a still relatively tem. A comparison is made between the specific learn-
flat literacy approach to a more complex, modern ing objectives for literacy teaching and learning in up-
and multimodal one. Being aware of the specific per secondary schools and the cases taken into account
learning objectives that the school system could by the most recent and significant studies in the field of
establish for foreign (second) language learning language education. The author suggests the presence
vis-à-vis literacy could prove useful for future re- of a gap between these two different areas, drawing a
search focussing on the gap between the evolu- few considerations on the direction that future research
could take in order to verify the actual existence of said
gards foreign language teaching and learning in tion field and the approaches introduced in the
digital and multimodal liter acies in for eign language lear ning: theor ies and application 73 upper secondary schools, no reference is made to classroom to help students develop multilayered,
the concept of literacy, nor to the many possible digital and multimodal literacies. Moreover, in
different methods and approaches related to it, a situation like the present one, the spread of a
proving not much has changed in the last fifteen global pandemic has forced schools and teach-
years. Technology also is not taken much into ers everywhere to willingly or unwillingly put
consideration: it is only highlighted how, over into practice different types of teaching, meth-
their last two school years, the students will be ods and approaches, and has demonstrated the
asked to use the new information and commu- importance (if not the essentiality) of different,
nication technologies to do research, deepen lin- wider and elastic skills, which deal with differ-
guistic and non-linguistic topics, express them- ent tools and devices and which conceive both
selves creatively and communicate with foreign teaching and learning as the result of a multilay-
interlocutors. ered set of modalities, sensory systems and semi-
otic modes. Being more prepared in this regard
Conclusions and direction for future would certainly have facilitated such transition,
research and would have made it a smoother, education-
Analysing and selecting theories and research ally valid experience, instead of a difficult pallia-
has brought to our attention how wide this field tive. The first step, therefore, is to try to compare
actually is and how many branches have already what current research suggests and what schools
been developed, each taking specific subtopics are actually working on, to see what needs to
into consideration. However, it has also high- be adjusted. Further research in this field could
lighted some critical issues, as we have seen be- therefore move in the direction of trying and
fore, as well as some discrepancies between the concretise, within the limits of the restrictions
research and studies that have been carried out dictated by programs, curricula and so on, those
within the framework of language education and theories that, for now, have largely remained ab-
the reality of foreign (second) language learning stract, thus allowing the school system to keep
within the school system. In order not to create up with a rapidly changing society.
a wide fracture between theory and mainstream
practice, it is necessary for future research to fo- Summary
cus on the effective application of the results ob-
tained from the many studies in the everyday This article explores the concept of literacy in the con-
school reality. It would certainly be important to text of foreign and second language learning in a formal
analyse how a plural approach to literacies might educational context, reporting some of the best-known
affect groups of students with different cultural definitions and highlighting their evolution over time.
and linguistic backgrounds, or the management Specifically, the aspects of plurality and multimodali-
of mixed-ability classes and so forth, but above ty vis-à-vis literacy are first taken into consideration, be-
all it is necessary to understand what is actually fore moving on to the digital environment, and to the
being done in the language classroom and how analysis of the role literacy holds within the school sys-
to speed up the transition from a still relatively tem. A comparison is made between the specific learn-
flat literacy approach to a more complex, modern ing objectives for literacy teaching and learning in up-
and multimodal one. Being aware of the specific per secondary schools and the cases taken into account
learning objectives that the school system could by the most recent and significant studies in the field of
establish for foreign (second) language learning language education. The author suggests the presence
vis-à-vis literacy could prove useful for future re- of a gap between these two different areas, drawing a
search focussing on the gap between the evolu- few considerations on the direction that future research
could take in order to verify the actual existence of said
