Multimodality an introduction New ways of reading

Multimodality: an introduction

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

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 children’s 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.

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

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

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

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

Key texts today q Story books q Picture books q Non-fiction books q Pop-up and lift the flap books (non linear) q Web pages and web logs q Blogs q Advertisements q Newspapers q Magazines q Comics q Poetry q Songs q Paintings/ drawings q Texting q Animated films q Live acted films q Computer games q Console games q Game manuals q Logos q Card collections

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?

Multimodal texts can be paper based http: //www. boysintobooks. co. uk/primary/showtitle. php? i=978140 6303353 (click on thumbnail to see: http: //www. boysintobooks. co. uk/primary/img/cv/in/978140630335 3. jpg) Taken from Satoshi Kitamura’s Stone Age Boy.

• 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.

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

• 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.

• The next screen is taken from a children’s 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?

AWAITING IMAGE Consider how each mode conveys a message. AWAITING IMAGE What does design add to the meaning?

• Now consider this example taken from BBC’s 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?

AWAITING IMAGE Consider how each mode conveys a message. What does design add to the meaning?

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?

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

See website: http: //www. royal. gov. uk/

• 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.

Watch these adverts. . . Adidas Advert: Little Red Riding Hood Chase 2008/9 Adidas Advert: Right Here Right Now 1999 Diadora Advert: 1983

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

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.

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?

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