Alt. Text Post #2- Part B

“English Teacher Learning for New Times: Digital Video Composing as Multimodal Literacy Practice”- Suzanne Miller

Article Summary:

•  Miller looks at Digital Video production in high school English classrooms as an example of the shifting notions of literacy in English classes in secondary schools.
• Miller argues that teachers need to employ new kinds of multimodal learning in preparing to teach students of the millennial generation; teachers should also be given opportunities to learn these new multimodal practices so they can better serve the students in their growth of knowledge and innovation in those areas.
•  The composition and design of Multimodal texts allows students and teachers to acquire performance knowledge- which is imperative to their ultimate success in the real world.

What are Multimodalities?

Miller defines multimodalities as the shifting notions of literacy in which out-of-school literacies (such as images and music) are incorporated into the classroom through purposeful multimodal activities that both engage students and act as transformative learning (p.62).

Why is this framework important?

The framework discussed in the article is important as it highlights the enormous amount of potential that these new ways of teaching and tools can offer.  As educators, our job is to instill that sense of expression alongside literacy- and what better way can we do that then with allowing students to choose their own mode of displaying that growth?  Once teachers receive training, we can encourage and give assistance in using those tools that will ultimately allow the student to fit an assignment into their own mode of interest.  As Miller explains, this mode of learning has   the potential to draw in students who typically struggle in the standard classroom set-up (p. 75).  This will make the assignment more enjoyable for both the student to create- and the teacher to evaluate.

How does this framework expand notions of composition?

This framework expands the notion of composition as much as it can go - students have the choice of how they display their assignments, so therefore the possibilities for creative expression are endless.  However, I could foresee some potential issues with this style of uninhibited multimodality in the classroom- one being the not-so-simple task of assessment. How would the teacher mark each style/mode of assignment that comes in on some kind of standard grading scale? How would they grade one student’s expression against another? How would you grade the amount of effort that went into it? While I do like the idea of allowing students to direct their own learning, I could see issues such as this becoming fairly problematic.

What is multimodal composition affording us- as future educators and our students?

I think that, despite the potential drawbacks, these new forms of multimodality will ultimately benefit our students and their success in learning and growth in the classroom.  If alternative forms of texts are what inspire them, then it makes sense that we should cultivate that interest and give them the tools to put their ideas into creative frameworks.  They will still be demonstrating the learning outcomes, but will be doing so in a way that resonates the strongest with them- and that is the type of learning that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

References

Miller, Suzanne M. (2007). English teacher learning for new times: digital video composing as multimodal literacy practice. English Education, 40(1), 61-83.