Rethinking Literacy Education in New Times: Multimodality, Multiliteracies, & New Literacies

Concepts

EducationLiteracy EducationMultiliteraciesReading DevelopmentReading EducationCritical LiteracyLiteracy InstructionMultimodal DiscourseMultimodal LiteracyNew LiteraciesReadingBilingual Literacy EducationCritical Multimodal LiteracyDigital Multimodal DiscourseLiteracy-rich ClassroomsMultimodal Curriculum DesignMultimodal PedagogyPedagogic Multimodal Discourse

TL;DR

In a digital, media‑driven globalized world, educators must reconcile traditional literacy with emerging digital skills, or risk teaching outdated paradigms, and while multimodal communication’s impact remains uncertain, its use is essential for teaching literacy. The article offers a theoretical overview of emerging literacy research, pedagogy, and practice, urging a redefinition of literacy through pilot and longitudinal studies. The authors examine literacy via a pilot study in Oakville, Ontario, and a longitudinal study in Sydney, Australia, to prompt a new perspective.

Abstract

The article presents a theoretical overview of new fields of research, pedagogy, and practice in literacy education. In a digital, media-driven, globalized world, educators are faced with the challenge of mediating traditional notions of what it means to be literate (e.g., read and writing print-based texts) with new and ever-emerging skills and interests in technology and digital media. Focusing on a pilot study in Oakville, ON and a longitudinal research study in Sydney, Australia, we compel readers to think about literacy in a new light. Without a push to redefine literacy, educators run the risk of teaching and learning language and literacy skills in anachronistic paradigms and frameworks. While research has not been able to fully establish the impact of multimodal communication, it is essential that educators learn to use these different modes of communication to teach literacy.