Traditionally, being literacy has been associated with the capacity to read and write based on a standard form of language[1].
Nonetheless, such definitions have changed with continued globalization and the integration of learners with diversified cultural backgrounds. The changes have also been linked with rapid advancements in the society, especially technology. Literacy, for the teachers, is no longer about standardizing the use of a language. Multiliteracies apply the concept of literacy to different language forms and multiple modes of expressions in response to the ever-changing world.
Initially, teachers considered literacy and numeracy to be the basics of education, which meant the ability to read and write Standard English[2].
The question that has remained unanswered is what is appropriate for educating women, indigenous people, and immigrants who do not speak the national language[3]. The focus should be on ensuring additional education for such learners. With the conception of literacy growing above the traditional print medium, there is a need to understand the new multiliteracy practices and pedagogies required to inform the preparation of the teachers better. In learning a second language, teachers and instructors often focus on enhancing the understanding of the students and communicating meaning using the target language. For effectiveness, the learners should acquire vocabulary and grammar, especially at the foundation and middle levels[4]. In some cases, students experience challenges discerning and expressing the needed meanings. The orientation of this study is a view of learning, literacies, and teaching as interconnected social processes.
Literacy Teaching and Learning in the Changing Times
Initially, literacy was defined as writing and reading. Before the invention of the printing press, literacy was the primary concern of the clerics and scholars[5]. The early research described literacy as a psychological phenomenon and theory associated with analyzing the readers and writers. Consequently, literacy concept was viewed as a set of isolated skills independent of the contexts, needed for understanding, and creating a written language. From that perspective, those who failed to acquire such skills were considered deficient and illiterate. However, these studies failed to describe why or how literacy occurred between adults and children. Student diversity has affected teaching and learning in various schools. In Australia, many schools are focusing on deepening understanding of language development, literacy meaning, and multimodality. Recent views on the concept of literacy are drawing on both the social and contexts in which the literacy practices are constructed through the integration of speaking, viewing, listening, and critical thinking with writing and reading with regards to the diversified learner and communities. With the societies, achievement of literacy involves different social and demographic factors including sex, culture, race, location, and learning institution. There are many definitions of literacy. However, there have been changes due to the ever-evolving views and beliefs; it has become difficult to theorize the pedagogy[6].
Teaching quality is predicted based on the theoretical knowledge of the teacher. Teachers entering urban education settings with an understanding of diversified cultures and languages of the students as an asset for literacy teaching often undergo through professional isolation from the other colleagues and other professional communities sharing their beliefs[7]. The authors of the education curriculum are teacher educators, and in the recent years, they have been focusing on improving equity and social justice in the learning setups. With globalization and continued integration of students across the globe, schools have been exhibiting great cultural, socio-economic, and linguistic diversity. The quality of education, especially for the students of English as a Second Language (ESL), has been influenced by historical and contemporary issues. In most cases, such situations have been associated with creation of challenges for teachers and learners and limiting them from reaching their full potential. Accordingly, overly standardized literacy learning occurs. Teaching literacy goes beyond teaching reading skills. Modern education aims to prepare the learners for the workforce. Thus, most learning practices are linked to economic growth. As the contemporary society moves from modernism towards postmodernism based on information revolution, operationalizing literacy resulted in new educational demands.
The social world has become more complex with the shifts on the conceptual ground which the concept of literacy was scaffolded. Scholars are focused on defining a literate person in the contemporary multilingual, multicultural, and digitally infused societies[8]. With the immense and dynamic complexity associated with highly encoded and interconnected world, studies have refuted the concept that views literacy as a monolith as theorists such as the New London Group proposing the alternative construction of multiple literacies. One of the problems that plagued the previous pedagogical context was that writing was never considered as communication. There was a need to teach students how to write for communication purposes and in a way that reflects the real-world application of languages. In earlier discussions, reading and writing were transferable skills with literacy viewed exclusively as functional. However, today's education has been hypothesized as a entrance to various avenues which enable people to participate in important international dialogues, consider informed decisions, and create contributions which empower individuals. In the 21st century, there has been an evolution in technology and literacy across the globe[9]. Therefore, it is vital that these changes are addressed from within education settings in a bid to meet the current needs and societal challenges; this requires education to be relevant to the global standards.
The Multiliteracies Approach to Learning
The concept of multiliteracies was developed by the New London Group in 1996 whose aim was to challenge the traditional definition and concepts of literacy[10]. The NLG suggested the need to consider the rising multimodal nature of the written texts within the digital platforms and recognizing literacy as an important social exercise. There are two vital points promoted by the suggested multiliteracies: first, there is no single, and standard English form since various cultural and social contexts use different language forms. Therefore, the concept acknowledges the diversity of students in classrooms. Second, communication occurs through different modes including multimodal, visual, linguistic, audio and spatial to accommodate the needs of various students. According to constructivists, literacy learning and language acquisition are essential social practices achievable through cultural and social interactions[11]. With postmodernism, it is notable that teaching and evaluation extend to knowledge, phrases, words, and ideas related to the teaching materials. Nevertheless, knowledge should not be limited to materials used to teach. In the age of multiliteracies, for a student to be considered literate, they should be able to move freely across various forms of languages, geographical locations, culture, and exhibit variation in the modes of expression. Literacy involves more than a set of conventions that educators teach in schools; it enables learners to negotiate the meaning in technological settings and through engaging the identities and values of the students.
According to the NLG, the concept of multiliteracies aimed to considered literacy as supplemental, continual, and a means to enhance the established literacy teaching and learning instead of replacing the traditional practices[12]. Previous learning practices failed to note cultural diversity among the students, but with multiliteracies, teachers recognize the rising cultural and linguistic differences among the learners as societies become more globalized and variety of texts forming from the multiple communicative methods[13]. Besides, there has been increased demand for new skills to work effectively in the ever-diversifying social contexts. Based on the research undertaken by the NLG, to be relevant, the learning process should recruit instead of ignoring and erasing various subjectivities, commitments, intentions, and interests bringing students to learning. Thus, teachers need to respond to different mediums and modes under which students operate, which makes it vital for the educators to possess the knowledge that reflects such varying and multiple discourses. From the analysis of different literature, it is clear that there has been a massive shift from the traditional print-based literacy to the integration of the 21st-century multiliteracies.
As literacy continues to grow and expand, there is a need to support the conceptions of the pre-service and practicing teachers and ensure that they understand multiliteracies. In a bid to support these mandates for teachers, the NLG multiliteracies pedagogy involves various components. The first is the situated practice which draws on the experience of the meaning in a given context. Such definitions are unique and authentic to the participants. Overt instruction is the second element which involves developing a precise meta-language for supporting active interventions scaffolding student's learning process. The multiliteracies perspective also advocates for the adoption of a pedagogy design in which the teachers are considered as designers of the learning processes and settings, but not bosses dictating what the learners should do. The pedagogical concept involves examination of the available designs, redesigning them using the appropriate technology, and ensuring that the redesigned texts are created through the critical reflection process[14]. Teachers should equip learners with proper skills to be successful participants in the designing process. In addition, teachers need to develop a nuanced and vital understanding of the technologies and literacies associated with out-of-school abilities of the students. Examination of these practices is crucial to understand English Education in the ever-changing world.
Multiliteracies Curriculum and its Significance
The educators proposed multiliteracies education to supplement the traditional education practices for literacy. In a bid to understand the proposed curriculum, teachers should have a great understanding of the conventional English literacy curriculum[15]. From the traditional point of view, literacy education ensured proper transmission of the correct usage of the standard form of English. Based on such definition, a literate person was the one with the ability to read and write based on the pre-determined standard form[16]. Therefore, there were two important aspects that students had to master: English structure and composition through the reproduction of conventional forms such as essays. However, with continued globalization and social interaction among the learners, the concept of traditional literacy changed with some scholars citing the need to accommodate diversity among the students. According to NLG, the central idea of multiliteracies pedagogy revolve around the design, which studies view from different perspectives: the process of designing and the form or structure. Based on the demands of postmodernism, these analogous can be considered as distinct aspects of literacy education. However, the outcome of the multiliteracies education is that students can design. The changing global needs are increasingly making it hard to determine the appropriate education for all societal members[17].
The answer to such question addresses the purpose of education. According to the NLG, the school needs to be viewed from various perspectives: work, civic life, and private. However, education for each aspect must change to respond to the shifting global economy and technology. The traditional image of work considered factories to require unskilled employees, especially those designed for mass production. Since the development of Post Fordism, the emerging concept of work is the knowledge economy which requires flexibility and a highly-skilled workforce. Accordingly, the role of multiliteracies pedagogy is to ensure that learners develop appropriate skills needed to participate in the working world and assist them in developing the capacity to engage critically with the conditions of work and society[18]. The concept of literacy is embedded in various principles: language use, conventions, reflection and self-reflection, interpretation, cultural knowledge, and collaboration. When teachers address these philosophies in a foreign language (FL) class setting, they encourage students to be involved actively while creating discourse, meaningful negotiations, and organizations.
Conclusion
The concept of multiliteracies approach is to provide teachers with the framework needed to assist the second language learners deriving and creating meaning involved in the target language. With the changing technology and social interaction among the learners from across cultures due to globalization, there has been increased intensity and complexity of the literate settings. Consequently, the 21st century needs literate people to possess an array of abilities and competencies. Based on the traditional curriculum, literacy was evaluated using the ability of the learners to read and write. Postmodernism requires that these elements, English teachers should have great understanding and experience for better framing and validation of various pedagogical practices. Literacy in the modern era has been regarded as fundamentally multicultural, multimodal, and multilingual. There are many issues and challenges associated with ELT that has emerged from reconceptualizing literacy as multiliteracies. However, most findings have noted multiliteracies assists in creating a better understanding and learning environment needed to prepare students for a highly responsive English language and literacy learning.
Bibliography
Boche, Benjamin. “Multiliteracies in the Classroom: Emerging Conceptions of First-Year Teachers.” Journal of Language and Literacy Education 10, no. 1 (2014): 114–35.
Ewing, Robyn. “Teaching Literacy Is More than Teaching Simple Reading Skills: It Can’t Be Done in Five Easy Steps.” EduResearch Matters (blog), April 25, 2016. https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=1532.
Fleming, Mary-Anne. “The Impact of Diversity in Queensland Classrooms on Literacy Teaching in Changing Times.” International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning 3, no. 3 (2007): 77–91.
Ganapathy, Malini. “The Effect of Incorporating Multiliteracies Pedagogy in ESL Writing.” International Journal of Arts " Sciences 8, no. 6 (2015): 253–66.
Longo, Janice. “Multiliteracies - ETEC 510,” 2011. http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Multiliteracies.
Lotherington, Heather. “From Literacy to Multiliteracies in ELT.” In International Handbook of English Language Teaching, 891–905. Springer, 2007.
Rosenberg, Anthony James. “Multiliteracies and Teacher Empowerment.” Critical Literacy: Theories " Practices 4, no. 2 (2010): 7–15.
Schmerbeck, Nicola, and Felecia Lucht. “Creating Meaning through Multimodality: Multiliteracies Assessment and Photo Projects for Online Portfolios.” Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German 50, no. 1 (2017): 32–44.
Zhang Leimbigler, Sheri. “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Second Language and Literacy Acquisition.” Online Submission, 2014, 116–28.
Zhang Leimbigler, Sheri. “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Second Language and Literacy Acquisition.” Online Submission, 2014, 1–12.
[1]
Longo, Janice. “Multiliteracies - ETEC 510,” 2011. http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Multiliteracies
[2]
Fleming, Mary-Anne. “The Impact of Diversity in Queensland Classrooms on Literacy Teaching in Changing Times.” International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning 3, no. 3 (2007): 77–91.
[3]
Boche, Benjamin. “Multiliteracies in the Classroom: Emerging Conceptions of First-Year Teachers.” Journal of Language and Literacy Education 10, no. 1 (2014): 114–35.
[4]
Schmerbeck, Nicola, and Felecia Lucht. “Creating Meaning through Multimodality: Multiliteracies Assessment and Photo Projects for Online Portfolios.” Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German 50, no. 1 (2017): 32–44.
[5]
Zhang Leimbigler, Sheri. “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Second Language and Literacy Acquisition.” Online Submission, 2014, 1–12.
[6]
Zhang Leimbigler, Sheri. “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Second Language and Literacy Acquisition.” Online Submission, 2014, 116–28.
[7]
Boche, Benjamin. “Multiliteracies in the Classroom: Emerging Conceptions of First-Year Teachers.” Journal of Language and Literacy Education 10, no. 1 (2014): 114–35.
[8]
Fleming, Mary-Anne. “The Impact of Diversity in Queensland Classrooms on Literacy Teaching in Changing Times.” International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning 3, no. 3 (2007): 77–91.
[9]
Ewing, Robyn. “Teaching Literacy Is More than Teaching Simple Reading Skills: It Can’t Be Done in Five Easy Steps.” EduResearch Matters (blog), April 25, 2016. https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=1532
[10]
Longo, Janice. “Multiliteracies - ETEC 510,” 2011. http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Multiliteracies
[11]
Rosenberg, Anthony James. “Multiliteracies and Teacher Empowerment.” Critical Literacy: Theories " Practices 4, no. 2 (2010): 7–15.
[12]
Boche, Benjamin. “Multiliteracies in the Classroom: Emerging Conceptions of First-Year Teachers.” Journal of Language and Literacy Education 10, no. 1 (2014): 114–35.
[13]
Lotherington, Heather. “From Literacy to Multiliteracies in ELT.” In International Handbook of English Language Teaching, 891–905. Springer, 2007.
[14]
Fleming, Mary-Anne. “The Impact of Diversity in Queensland Classrooms on Literacy Teaching in Changing Times.” International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning 3, no. 3 (2007): 77–91.
[15]
Longo, Janice. “Multiliteracies - ETEC 510,” 2011. http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Multiliteracies
[16]
Zhang Leimbigler, Sheri. “A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Second Language and Literacy Acquisition.” Online Submission, 2014, 1–12.
[17]
Ganapathy, Malini. “The Effect of Incorporating Multiliteracies Pedagogy in ESL Writing.” International Journal of Arts " Sciences 8, no. 6 (2015): 253–66.
[18]
Longo, Janice. “Multiliteracies - ETEC 510,” 2011. http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Multiliteracies
