Mutliliteracies Framework

The multiliteracies framework proposed by the New London group suggests that people today (especially traditional aged students) are constantly involved with many forms of communication media. The richness of these forms of communication media necessitate the use of new pedagogical approaches to designing instruction for students to be engaged. They suggest this definition for these new literacies:

The new literacies of the Internet and other ICTs include the skills, strategies, and dispositions necessary to successfully use and adapt to the rapidly changing information and communication technologies and contexts that continuously emerge in our world and influence all areas of our personal and professional lives. These new literacies allow us to use the Internet and other ICTs to identify important questions, locate information, critically evaluate the usefulness of that information, synthesize information to answer those questions, and then communicate the answers to others.

The design framework proposed is a pedagogical approach to planning instruction that is in line with new media developments. The framework of planning for engagement with multiple modes of language suggest that students should learn through engaging projects with more than just written language as both the form to learn from, and the way to document learning. The approach has three stages and seems similar to the work by Wiggins and McTighe on Understanding by Design with attention to multiple intelligences. Additionally this work certainly seems in line with the TPCK model. Certainly the multiliteracies framework suggests using pedagogical approaches to reaching students that will be in line with their experiences, and using many forms of technology to accomplish this goal. Also the model gives consideration towards planning with a strong content knowledge background to ensure that students achieve the desired goals. Leu et al. also argue that simply using any technology to teach does not represent teaching within this new framework - a perspective consistent with the TPCK model that it is not to use technology for the sake of the tool, but rather the goal of the learning. In this example it appears that the students through flexible grouping might experience extremely varied instructional experiences, and little thought is given to designing these experiences to match the goals for each students. There seems to be a more haphazard approach to planning, and then hoping that the students each get the desired learning from the experience.

More investigation into this model will be helpful to see what is said on designing with students in mind. This model does suggest five domains of meaning: visual design, spatial design, audio design, gestural design and linguistic design that comprise the multiliteracies. These five domains stretch my understanding of literacy and really do suggest that the new forms of literacy are about interpreting and using much more than just written language.

Additionally in reading the work of Leu, Kinzer, Coiro and Cammack (2004) it is clear that the role of the teacher will change with these new literacies, because the teacher will no longer be the most ICT literate person in the classroom, and therefore the relationship between teacher, students, content and learning shifts.

Leu et al. http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/leu/

Ryan, M. (2008). Engaging Middle Years Students: Literacy Projects That Matter. Journal of Adolescent

& Adult Literacy, 52(3), 190-201