Multimodality: an
introduction
New ways of reading, new ways of writing
‘literacy teaching and learning needs to change
because the world is changing’
Cope and Kalantzis. 2000: 41
Why multimodality matters
• The future of reading and writing are closely interwoven
with the future of digital technologies.
• Children already know much about multimodal texts
from their home experiences. As teachers it is our
responsibility to build on these experiences and the
children’s knowledge of multimodality in the classroom.
This means we need to recognise the relationships
between different modes: text and image, sound and
gesture and use this in our teaching.
• Supporting children with reading, analysing and using
modes will enable them to develop literacy skills for
today and the future.
Multimodality
Multimodality involves the complex
interweaving of word, image, gesture and
movement, and sound, including speech.
These can be combined in different ways and
presented through a range of media.
Bearne, E. And Wolstencroft, H. 2007
Multimodality
Mode – signs: sound, graphic material, print
Media – the manner of dissemination
A traffic sign as the medium
of communication and the red
border and the image inside
it as the mode.
Kress, G.1997
Medium of communication
• The computer: internet information and
software presentations
• Paper-based texts: picture books, magazines,
novels, information books
• Sound and visual media: radio, television,
videos, CDs and DVDs
Modes of communication
• Writing or print, including typographical
elements of font type, size and shape
• Images: moving and still, diagrammatic or
representational
• Sound: spoken words and music
• Gesture and movement
Key texts today
 Story books
 Picture books
 Non-fiction books
 Pop-up and lift the flap
books (non linear)
 Web pages and web logs
 Blogs
 Advertisements
 Newspapers
 Magazines
 Comics
 Poetry
 Songs
 Paintings/ drawings
 Texting
 Animated films
 Live acted films
 Computer games
 Console games
 Game manuals
 Logos
 Card collections
Key texts today, a reflection
• Can you think of any other texts used by
pupils?
• Consider ways in which you have seen pupils
using these texts.
• How many of these texts do you currently use
in your classroom?
Multimodal texts can be paper based
http://www.boysintobooks.co.uk/primary/showtitle.php?i=978140
6303353
(click on thumbnail to see:
http://www.boysintobooks.co.uk/primary/img/cv/in/978140630335
3.jpg)
Taken from Satoshi Kitamura’s Stone Age Boy.
• Look at the following examples of paperbased multimodal texts.
• The texts are made up on a combination of
words, images and design layout. They use
multimodal approaches to get their message
across.
AWAITING IMAGE
Consider how each
mode conveys
meaning.
How does the
design add to
the meaning?
• Your eye might have been drawn initially to
the images, to the image in the bottom right
hand corner. You may then have browsed the
other images before using design features such
as the lines linking images to the related text
to draw your attention to the text...
• The page has a science fiction tone due to the
framing and use of screen digital type font.
Notice how the pictures and text are linked
together by lines and positioning on the page.
• The next screen is taken from a children’s
magazine National Geographic Kids
• What information is contained in the images?
• What information is contained in the text?
• How does design support understanding and
add to meaning?
• How do the typeface, colour, font size and
variety add to the information?
AWAITING IMAGE
AWAITING IMAGE
Consider how each mode conveys a message.
What does design add to the meaning?
• Now consider this example taken from BBC’s
Charlie And Lola magazine
• What information is contained in the images?
• What information is contained in the text?
• How does design support understanding and
add to meaning?
• How do the typeface, colour, font size and
variety add to the information?
AWAITING IMAGE
Consider how each mode conveys a message.
What does design add to the meaning?
Paper-based multimodal texts, a
reflection
• Reflect on the way you have seen paper-based
multimodal texts used in the classroom. How
do you currently draw pupils’ attention to
multimodal aspects?
• How does this support the pupils’ learning?
• You must only look at the next slide for four
seconds... What do you remember?
See website: http://www.royal.gov.uk/
• What message was the most prominent?
• What mode was used to indicate this?
It is worth considering how texts are changing
over time – not only are there new types of
digital texts but a huge amount of book and
magazine texts use image, word, layout and
typography, often echoing on-screen texts.
Watch these adverts...
Adidas Advert: Little Red Riding Hood Chase
2008/9
Adidas Advert: Right Here Right Now 1999
Diadora Advert: 1983
Watch these adverts, reflection
• How are the modes of communication used in
each of the adverts?
• How have they changed over time?
The challenge for the classroom, a
reflection
• How do you use on-screen texts to support
your teaching of different text types?
• How do you plan for the children to design
and create on-screen texts?
You may wish to share these in one of the
discussions.
The challenge for the classroom, a
reflection
• How far could the approaches and examples
in this presentation be used in your own
teaching? What would you need in order to
do so?
Bibliography
• Bearne, E., and Wolstencroft, H. (2007) Visual Approaches to
Teaching Writing Multimodal Literacy 5-11. London: Paul Chapman
Publishing.
• Bhojwani, P., Lord, B., and Wilkes, C. (2009) 'I know what to write
now' Engaging Boys (and Girls) through a Multimodal Approach.
Leicester: UKLA.
• United Kingdom Literacy Association/Qualifications and Assessment
Authority (2004) More than Words 1: More than Words: multimodal
texts in the classroom. London: QCA. This can be accessed on:
http://www.qca.org.uk
• United Kingdom Literacy Association/Qualifications and Assessment
Authority (2005) More than Words 2: Creating stories on page and
screen. London: QCA. This can be accessed on:
http://www.qca.org.uk