Multimodality: an introduction

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Multimodality an introduction
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New ways of reading, new ways of writing

• literacy teaching and learning needs to change
  because the world is changing
• Cope and Kalantzis. 2000 41

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Why multimodality matters

• The future of reading and writing are closely
  interwoven with the future of digital
  technologies.
• Children already know much about multimodal texts
  from their home experiences. As teachers it is
  our responsibility to build on these experiences
  and the childrens knowledge of multimodality in
  the classroom. This means we need to recognise
  the relationships between different modes text
  and image, sound and gesture and use this in our
  teaching.
• Supporting children with reading, analysing and
  using modes will enable them to develop literacy
  skills for today and the future.

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Multimodality

• Multimodality involves the complex interweaving
  of word, image, gesture and movement, and sound,
  including speech. These can be combined in
  different ways and presented through a range of
  media.
• Bearne, E. And Wolstencroft, H. 2007

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Multimodality

• Mode signs sound, graphic material, print
• Media the manner of dissemination
• A traffic sign as the medium
• of communication and the red
• border and the image inside
• it as the mode.
• Kress, G.1997

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Medium of communication

• The computer internet information and software
  presentations
• Paper-based texts picture books, magazines,
  novels, information books
• Sound and visual media radio, television,
  videos, CDs and DVDs

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Modes of communication

• Writing or print, including typographical
  elements of font type, size and shape
• Images moving and still, diagrammatic or
  representational
• Sound spoken words and music
• Gesture and movement

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Key texts today

• Story books
• Picture books
• Non-fiction books
• Pop-up and lift the flap books (non linear)
• Web pages and web logs
• Blogs
• Advertisements
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Comics
• Poetry

• Songs
• Paintings/ drawings
• Texting
• Animated films
• Live acted films
• Computer games
• Console games
• Game manuals
• Logos
• Card collections

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Key texts today, a reflection

• Can you think of any other texts used by pupils?
• Consider ways in which you have seen pupils using
  these texts.
• How many of these texts do you currently use in
  your classroom?

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Multimodal texts can be paper based
http//www.boysintobooks.co.uk/primary/showtitle.p
hp?i9781406303353 (click on thumbnail to see
http//www.boysintobooks.co.uk/primary/img/cv/in/9
781406303353.jpg)
Taken from Satoshi Kitamuras Stone Age Boy.
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• Look at the following examples of paper-based
  multimodal texts.
• The texts are made up on a combination of words,
  images and design layout. They use multimodal
  approaches to get their message across.

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AWAITING IMAGE

• Consider how each mode conveys meaning.
• How does the design add to the meaning?

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• Your eye might have been drawn initially to the
  images, to the image in the bottom right hand
  corner. You may then have browsed the other
  images before using design features such as the
  lines linking images to the related text to draw
  your attention to the text...
• The page has a science fiction tone due to the
  framing and use of screen digital type font.
  Notice how the pictures and text are linked
  together by lines and positioning on the page.

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• The next screen is taken from a childrens
  magazine National Geographic Kids
• What information is contained in the images?
• What information is contained in the text?
• How does design support understanding and add to
  meaning?
• How do the typeface, colour, font size and
  variety add to the information?

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AWAITING IMAGE
AWAITING IMAGE
Consider how each mode conveys a message. What
does design add to the meaning?
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• Now consider this example taken from BBCs
  Charlie And Lola magazine
• What information is contained in the images?
• What information is contained in the text?
• How does design support understanding and add to
  meaning?
• How do the typeface, colour, font size and
  variety add to the information?

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AWAITING IMAGE
Consider how each mode conveys a message. What
does design add to the meaning?
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Paper-based multimodal texts, a reflection

• Reflect on the way you have seen paper-based
  multimodal texts used in the classroom. How do
  you currently draw pupils attention to
  multimodal aspects?
• How does this support the pupils learning?

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• You must only look at the next slide for four
  seconds... What do you remember?

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See website http//www.royal.gov.uk/
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• What message was the most prominent?
• What mode was used to indicate this?
• It is worth considering how texts are changing
  over time not only are there new types of
  digital texts but a huge amount of book and
  magazine texts use image, word, layout and
  typography, often echoing on-screen texts.

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Watch these adverts...

• Adidas Advert Little Red Riding Hood Chase
  2008/9
• Adidas Advert Right Here Right Now 1999
• Diadora Advert 1983

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Watch these adverts, reflection

• How are the modes of communication used in each
  of the adverts?
• How have they changed over time?

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The challenge for the classroom, a reflection

• How do you use on-screen texts to support your
  teaching of different text types?
• How do you plan for the children to design and
  create on-screen texts?
• You may wish to share these in one of the
  discussions.

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The challenge for the classroom, a reflection

• How far could the approaches and examples in this
  presentation be used in your own teaching? What
  would you need in order to do so?

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Bibliography

• Bearne, E., and Wolstencroft, H. (2007) Visual
  Approaches to Teaching Writing Multimodal
  Literacy 5-11. London Paul Chapman Publishing.
• Bhojwani, P., Lord, B., and Wilkes, C. (2009) 'I
  know what to write now' Engaging Boys (and Girls)
  through a Multimodal Approach. Leicester UKLA.
• United Kingdom Literacy Association/Qualifications
  and Assessment Authority (2004) More than Words
  1 More than Words multimodal texts in the
  classroom. London QCA. This can be accessed on
  http//www.qca.org.uk
• United Kingdom Literacy Association/Qualifications
  and Assessment Authority (2005) More than Words
  2 Creating stories on page and screen. London
  QCA. This can be accessed on http//www.qca.org.
  uk