Multimodal Literacies in Young Emergent Bilinguals

Beyond Print-Centric Practices

Sally Brown, Ling Hao, Sally Brown, Ling Hao

• Publisher: Multilingual Matters
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781800412347
• eBook ISBN:
  9781800412378
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Social Aspects in Computer Science

This book presents research focused on young emergent bilingual children's multimodal meaning-making processes in diverse cultural and linguistic settings. Chapters draw on a range of theoretical frameworks and expand on traditional notions of literacy, especially for students who are working to learn English as a new language. The insights into original research studies will help readers understand the many avenues that one can take as a practitioner in order to ensure that student assets are built upon to promote positive literate identities and learning experiences and, ultimately, to promote literacy success for diverse learners. Each chapter includes practical pedagogical recommendations and implications for teachers that can immediately be applied to classrooms, making the book an essential resource for using multiple modes to teach literacy with diverse student populations.

1A Synthesis of How Multimodal Literacies Impact Emergent Bilingual Students’ Literacy and Cultural Identities

Qi Si, Tracey Hodges and Julianne Coleman

Multimodal literacies, also referred to as visual literacies, digital literacies and new literacies in different research contexts, are studied by literacy education scholars to investigate how students make meanings across the disciplines (Lapp et al., 2012; McTigue & Flowers, 2011). Generally, multiliteracy scholars have shown that including various types of literacies increases students’ comprehension and knowledge (Bernstein, 2017; Shin, 2014). Bilingual scholars have noted that including multimedia helps students learn in their first and second language (Brown, 2016; Chang & Martínez-Roldán, 2018). However, a gap in the studies is left unexplored regarding how multimodal literacies impact emergent bilingual students’ literacy and cultural identities development.

Multimodal literacies include all types of formats that contain and convey information in both print-based and digital texts (Sanders & Albers, 2010). In recent decades of research studies, multimodal literacies have been widely used in various K-12 educational settings, such as classroom instruction in multiple subjects, programs held outside of school spaces and within bilingual family settings (McVee et al., 2017; Zhao & Hewitt, 2020). With multimodal literacies, teachers can engage bilingual students in meaningful ways to develop their literacy and/or bilingual skills and help students to experience cultural differences (Lotherington & Jenson, 2011). Although plenty of research studies (e.g. Catalano et al., 2020; Pacheco & Hamilton, 2020) focus on bilingual children’s literacy abilities, fewer studies summarize and analyze the approaches of multimodal literacies in the facilitation of emergent bilinguals’ development of literacy skills and cultural identity. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to provide a synthesis and analysis of multimodal literacy practices to support the development of bilingual children in PK-6 classrooms and other learning contexts. These findings would be beneficial to early childhood teachers, literacy and bilingual education field researchers and bilingual families. The current study aims to answer the following research questions:

(1)How can multimodal literacies effectively facilitate emergent bilinguals in literacy development?

(2)How can multimodal literacies support emergent bilinguals in cultural identity development?

Theoretical Framework

We draw upon three theoretical perspectives to inform the present study. The social semiotic theory (Jewitt, 2008; Kress, 2003, 2010) guides multimodal literacies studies in meaning-making modes, while the sociocultural theory and translanguaging theory help researchers to understand bilinguals’ literacy and cultural identity development (García, 2009; Vygotsky, 1980).

Social semiotic theory suggests that meaning can be made through different modes – not just the written word (Jewitt, 2008). Central to this theory is that multiple literacies (New London Group, 1996) are supported through various modes such as sound, color, image, action and gesture. These modes are organized sets of semiotic resources for making meaning, with language-based modes being one (Jewitt, 2008; Kress, 2003). The linguistic modes can be used in concert with other modes (Kress, 2010), as opposed to being the primary mode of communication. Thus, in light of the social semiotic theory, communicative message composers make choices to use various modes that are shaped by sociocultural factors to contextualize communication. Additionally, multimodal messages can vary in content and thus vary in interpretations for different audiences beyond just linguistic meanings (Serafini, 2012). As such, the social semiotic theory affords more opportunities for message creation and thinking beyond the use of linguistic or language-based modes of communication.

Sociocultural theories are informed by the work of Vygotsky (1980), who explained that students learn from more knowledgeable others (MKOs). This is particularly important for emergent readers and writers who are beginning to learn the foundational skills of literacy from skilled readers and writers. Additionally, bilingual students are learning these foundational skills simultaneously in their native and second language, so having high-quality models to learn from is critical. Additionally, sociocultural theories are informed by students’ Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD; Vygoktsky, 1980), which suggests that students can increase their knowledge by the amount of difference between them and the MKO. When considering multiliteracies, teachers should think about students’ literacy skills, their comfortableness with digital and visual texts and their linguistic skills in both the first (L1) and second language (L2). Finally, sociocultural theories encourage colla...

Table of contents

• Cover-Page
• Half-Title
• Series
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Contributors
• Foreword
• Introduction
• 1. A Synthesis of How Multimodal Literacies Impact Emergent Bilingual Students’ Literacy and Cultural Identities
• Part 1: Preschool
• Part 2: Kindergarten
• Part 3: Primary Grades
• Part 4: Out-of-School Contexts
• Index