Literacy and Multimodality

Brian V. Street

Fabiano Silvestre Ramos -

UFV

AIM TO PROVIDE AN UP-TO-DATE

ACCOUNT OF WHAT RESEARCH

LOOKS LIKE THAT SITS WITHIN

THE INTERSECTION OF NEW

LITERACY STUDIES AND

MULTIMODALITY

Research that merges New Literacy

Studies with multimodality takes equal

account of where, how, and by whom

a text is made as it does of the

physical features of a text as signifiers

of contextual meanings.

MULTIMODALITY

The text could be understood in relationto the ideational, interpersonal andtextual functions of the sign;

Communication is multimodal

MULTIMODALITY, then, is an approachto communication wherein textual modeswork in concert with each other without anecessary privileging of one overanother (P. 2-3)

The role of ethnography

Ethnography as a methodology;

DOING

ETHNOGRAPHY

ADOPTING NA

ETHNOGRAPHIC

PERSPECTIVE

USING

ETHNOGRAPHIC

TOOLS

Involves the framing,

conceptualizing,

conducting, interpreting,

writing and reporting

associated with a broad,

in depth, and long-

termstudy of a social

group

It is possible to take a

more focused approach

to study particular

aspects of everyday life

and cultural practices of

a social group

Refers to the use of

methods and techniques

usually associated with

fieldwork.

BRINGING THE 2 TRADiTIONS

TOGETHER

TWO TRADITIONS:

◦ Multimodality placed text making within a

tradition from social semiotics, and

understood signs as being multimodal,

imbued with intention and culturally shaped

and constituted.

◦ New Literacy Studies used ethnographic

methodologies to look at ways of being and

doing in communities and placed na

understanding of literacy within a wider

understanding of everyday life.

LITERACY PRACTICES

- Focus on social practices andconceptions of reading and writing

- Regular repeated activities

LITERACY EVENTS

- Any occasion in which a piece ofwriting is integral to the nature of theparticipants’ interaction andinterpretative processes

- Activities where literacy has a role.

NOT TAKING ACCOUNT OF

MULTIMODALITY...

... Would de-privilege children who are

already drawing on a number of

semiotic modes to make meaning and

who are likely to be applying for jobs

where the employer is quite aware of

the importance of multiple modes in

meaning making and communication.