Jewitt (2008) has made it very clear that multimodality has redefined the concept of literacies and learning. In traditional classrooms, literacy refers to learning with written mode. Students learn from verbal teaching, text books and express themselves in verbal presentation and written examination. Language is the major mode for teaching and learning. Student learning is conducted by verbal communication and written examination. Literacy is defined as the competency to express oneself knowledge in language (Jewitt, 2008).
Shifting to the ICT world, the context has been changed. Students are not limited to express themselves in traditional language mode (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006; Yue & Yuen, 2005). Nowadays students are called digital natives (Prensky, 2001) as they are actively participating in producing visual and media artefacts out of their school lives (Burn & Durran, 2007; Jenkins, 2006; Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006). Kress & van Leeuwen (2001) named the new way of expressing oneself as Multimodal Discourse. Meaning expression is situated at various modes including image, gesture, gaze, body posture, sound, writing, music, speech and so on. Language is just one of the various modes for meaning expression. We, in fact, communicate with multimodality in the digital world. Language might still be the dominant mode, but images, audio and video are getting important gradually. Blog, YouTube and Facebook provide a lot of good examples about effective communication in multiple modes. Multiliteracies are then defined as the literacies in managing multimodality to communicate with each others (Jewitt, 2008). Or simply we call the multiliteracies “new literacies” or “literacies” (Lankshear & Knobel, 2006).
From literacy to multimodality and literacies, should leaning be re-defined under the digital world? Jewitt (2008) suggested hypertext has redefined the relationships between reader, author and text. The shifting is from collection to connection. It opens a new horizon in the production of complex hybrid semiotic systems and new competency of literacies. Meaning expression is not limited to pure text, but a linkage of text to audio, video, graphic and web link, etc. (Jewitt, 2008). In contrast to the traditional taxonomies of print-based expression skills, Jewitt (2008) defined learning as process that “involves students in working across different sites of expression, negotiating and creating new flexible spaces for planning, thinking, hypothesizing, testing, designing, and realizing ideas."
With the new definitions of literacies and learning, the pedagogy in classroom should also be changed accordingly. Teachers are suggested to focus on pedagogic design on students learning processes. Students should be shifted to meaning construction that is related to their knowledge, experiences and interests. Meaning construction here includes engaging students in building multiple modes stories integrating their lives, experiences and cultural forms of representation. Cross-curricular multimode project involving student’s everyday knowledge and context-based learning might be one of the directions (Jewitt, 2008).
Putting these new concept of literacies, multimodality and learning into HK context, the new Senior Secondary School curriculum proposed Liberal Studies as the core subject. Under the Liberal Studies, students can select a non-written mode Independent Enquiry Project as a final school-based assessment. It is interesting that there seems some similar rationales behind the literacies, multimodality, learning and local non-written IES project.
Shifting to the ICT world, the context has been changed. Students are not limited to express themselves in traditional language mode (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006; Yue & Yuen, 2005). Nowadays students are called digital natives (Prensky, 2001) as they are actively participating in producing visual and media artefacts out of their school lives (Burn & Durran, 2007; Jenkins, 2006; Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006). Kress & van Leeuwen (2001) named the new way of expressing oneself as Multimodal Discourse. Meaning expression is situated at various modes including image, gesture, gaze, body posture, sound, writing, music, speech and so on. Language is just one of the various modes for meaning expression. We, in fact, communicate with multimodality in the digital world. Language might still be the dominant mode, but images, audio and video are getting important gradually. Blog, YouTube and Facebook provide a lot of good examples about effective communication in multiple modes. Multiliteracies are then defined as the literacies in managing multimodality to communicate with each others (Jewitt, 2008). Or simply we call the multiliteracies “new literacies” or “literacies” (Lankshear & Knobel, 2006).
From literacy to multimodality and literacies, should leaning be re-defined under the digital world? Jewitt (2008) suggested hypertext has redefined the relationships between reader, author and text. The shifting is from collection to connection. It opens a new horizon in the production of complex hybrid semiotic systems and new competency of literacies. Meaning expression is not limited to pure text, but a linkage of text to audio, video, graphic and web link, etc. (Jewitt, 2008). In contrast to the traditional taxonomies of print-based expression skills, Jewitt (2008) defined learning as process that “involves students in working across different sites of expression, negotiating and creating new flexible spaces for planning, thinking, hypothesizing, testing, designing, and realizing ideas."
With the new definitions of literacies and learning, the pedagogy in classroom should also be changed accordingly. Teachers are suggested to focus on pedagogic design on students learning processes. Students should be shifted to meaning construction that is related to their knowledge, experiences and interests. Meaning construction here includes engaging students in building multiple modes stories integrating their lives, experiences and cultural forms of representation. Cross-curricular multimode project involving student’s everyday knowledge and context-based learning might be one of the directions (Jewitt, 2008).
Putting these new concept of literacies, multimodality and learning into HK context, the new Senior Secondary School curriculum proposed Liberal Studies as the core subject. Under the Liberal Studies, students can select a non-written mode Independent Enquiry Project as a final school-based assessment. It is interesting that there seems some similar rationales behind the literacies, multimodality, learning and local non-written IES project.
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