Creating Multimodal Texts with Emergent Bilinguals

Emergent bilinguals bring to the classroom their funds of knowledge represented in many different forms. Only focusing on one medium or dominant discourse as the way for emergent bilinguals to communicate their literacy knowledge can label them as underperforming (Falchi et al., 2014). Emergent bilinguals express their knowledge through the use of semiotic systems. These systems include visual, auditory, spatial, and gestures which are connected to their language and represent knowledge (Falchi et al., 2014). Creating multimodal texts through the use of digital tools and other semiotic systems allows emergent bilinguals the opportunity to share their funds of knowledge. These multimodal texts are ways the classroom and home environment can connect and encourages emergent bilinguals to express their individual identity and literacy knowledge.

            Using digital tools such as iPads and laptops in the primary classroom allows emergent bilinguals to express themselves through the use of PowerPoint, iMovie, iPhoto, and voice recordings. All levels of emergent bilingual students, including those who have limited English, are able to share their literacy knowledge when using digital tools. In one third-grade classroom in Canada with a wide array of multilingual backgrounds, students from Hungary, with limited English knowledge, used laptops to create multimodal texts of their favorite places within the school. They used laptops to include photos, emoji, icons, and voice recordings in a PowerPoint to share their experiences and knowledge. Teachers can help create classroom environments for students to use their language and express themselves by providing different multimodal opportunities. By creating this environment students develop a sense of agency and this promotes students’ literacy engagement (Netignioui et al., 2014).

IPads have many tools and apps for creating multimodal texts and is another way to use technology in the classroom. Using iPads allows students to interactively write, draw, produce movies, and use voice recordings to create eBooks. This allows young emergent bilingual children the opportunity to use multiple modalities to express knowledge (Rowe & Miller, 2016). Including families in the multimodal text process helps young emergent bilinguals reach higher literacy skills (Sujin & Song, 2019). Connecting home and school experiences in the classroom creates a culturally relevant environment and increases engagement in literacy activities. Using digital tools can expand the opportunities for emergent bilinguals to engage in the classroom by communicating their knowledge.

 Emergent bilinguals use other semiotic systems to show their knowledge when creating multimodal texts. These systems allow emergent bilinguals to express their knowledge in authentic ways. Incorporating oral storytelling, music, or visual art in a balanced literacy curriculum creates opportunities for emergent bilinguals to interpret and construct meaning. Emergent bilinguals show more engagement when there are opportunities to perform in open-ended ways and when their interests are included (Falchi et al., 2014).

When working with young emergent bilinguals, a broader view of how these students express literacy knowledge needs to be valued. A narrowly defined idea of literacy in the school setting by focusing only on a dominant discourse can lead to identifying emergent bilinguals as “at-risk” (Falchi et al., 2014). Incorporating authentic experiences for emergent bilinguals using home and school connections encourages literacy learning. Creating multimodal texts by including the use of digital tools and semiotic systems allows these students to express knowledge through a variety of modes of representation. Using multimodal texts allows these students voices to be a part of the classroom environment.

Click the link to see some ideas for creating multimodal texts with emergent bilinugals.

Creating Multimodal Texts

 

Falchi, L. T., Axelrod, Y., & Genishi, C. (2014). “Miguel es un artista”-and Luisa is an   

          excellent student: Seeking time and space for children’s multimodal practices. Journal    

          of Early Childhood Literacy, 14(3), 345-366.https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798413501185

Ntelioglou, B.Y., Fannin, J., Montanera, M., & Cummins, J. (2014). A multilingual and

multimodal approach to literacy teaching and learning in urban education: A

collaborative inquiry project in an inner city elementary school. Frontiers in 

Psychology, 5, 533, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00533

Rowe, D. W., & Miller, M. E. (2016). Designing for diverse classrooms: Using iPads and 

            digital cameras to compose eBooks with emergent bilingual/biliterate four-year-olds.   

            Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 16(4), 425-472.

Sujin, K. & Song, K. H. (2019). Designing a community translanguaging space within a 

            family literacy project. The Reading Teacher, 73(3), 267-279.             

            https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1820

 

Family Involvement and Emergent Bilinguals’ Meaning Making Through Multimodal Writing

Including families in school experiences such as parent conferences, class parties, field trips, and as classroom volunteers are traditional ways schools involve families. However, for those families whose home language is other than English, these school functions can be alienating. All families, regardless of their background, have a profound impact on their children's education. Including all families by connecting school experiences and home life is a way to increase literacy skills. Teachers must include families in authentic ways to help build trusting and collaborative relationships which honor linguistic and cultural differences (Johnson, 2014). A way to create positive relationships with emergent bilinguals and their families is to incorporate multimodal writing as a springboard to connect school and home experiences. Multiple modes of expression include such as audio, visual, digital, and linguistic features. These can deepen meaning making (Nunez, 2019). This can be done through digital storytelling, using photography, and creating multimodal storybooks. 

Digital storytelling is an authentic experience emergent bilinguals can use to connect their culture to the classroom to share with others. When teachers use different types of mediums by combining them, this deepens meaning. In digital storytelling, these different mediums can include pictures, icons, voice, cartoons, and text. Using different mediums helps students fit new information into their current funds of knowledge (Johnson, 2014). 

There are many different types of technology tools to choose from when creating a digital storytelling project. VoiceThread, SeeSaw, and Storyboard That are a few free options to choose from the wide variety available. A key consideration to think about when creating a digital storytelling project is to have students use photos from home. This allows the home culture to be represented in the classroom and builds relationships and classroom community. When creating this project, first model the entire process of the digital storybook making to students. Also, allow students to work in pairs to help encourage collaboration and sharing of knowledge with each other during the process. When the project is complete, provide opportunities for family members to view and comment on their child’s digital story. This could be by providing a link and instructions on how to view it. 

 I discussed in my last post how photography encourages translanguaging in emergent bilinguals. Incorporating photography also helps to create a school-home connection. When students are given the opportunity to use photographs as the centerpiece of their writing, they use academic language to explain their experiences (Ghiso, 2013). Allowing students to use photographs of what is important to them in their immediate community encourages them to rely on their funds of knowledge to create and extend their understanding of literacy. 

Storybook making is an authentic way to honor the linguistic and cultural heritage of emergent bilinguals in a school setting. By allowing children to use their voices through multimodal storybook making, it empowers them to share their perspectives and construct meaning through their own learning (Streelasky, 2020). Incorporating the experiences at school or at home into a book, such as playing on the playground, snack time, or peer interactions allows them to create authentic texts about situations that matter to them. When creating these storybooks, use both the home language and English to honor the linguistic knowledge of the student and their home. Allowing these storybooks to be shared with other classmates and their families allows students to be involved in their own learning. The sharing of experiences can expand both the teachers’ and families’ understanding of each other (Nunez, 2019).

            Family involvement in a child’s educational journey is critical. Families whose home language is not English should be included in their child’s school experiences. Not speaking more than one language shouldn’t be a barrier for teachers to involve emergent bilinguals’ families in the classroom community. Connecting school and home life through multimodal writing experiences is a way teachers and schools can build trusting relationships with all families. 

Click the link below to see a poster with some ideas for involving families!

Family Involvement

 

Ghiso, M. P., Martinez-Alvarez, P., & Dernikos, B. P. (2014). Writing from and with community 

knowledge: First-grade emergent bilinguals’ engagements with technology-integrated 

curricula. In R. E. Ferdig & K. E. Pytash (Eds.), Exploring multimodal composition and 

            digital writing (pp. 169-185). IGI Global
Johnson, D. (2014). Reading, Writing and Literacy 2.0: Teaching with Online Texts, Tools and 

Resources. Teachers College Press.
Nunez, I. (2019). “Le hacemos la lucha”: Learning from Madres Mexicanas’ multimodal 

approaches to raising bilingual, biliterate children. Language Arts, 97(1), 7-16.
Streelasky, J. (2020). Creating identity text with young children across culturally and 

linguistically diverse contexts. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 18(3), 243-258. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/147618X19898715

 

 

Encouraging Translanguaging for Meaning Making Through Multimodal Writing

Encouraging Translanguaging for Meaning Making Through Multimodal Writing

 

Twenty-first century suburban, urban, and rural classrooms are a diverse group of students from different backgrounds. This diverse group includes students who are emergent bilinguals. These are students whose home language is not English. Teachers in most classrooms will have a student or students who speak more than one language. It is important to understand the role of language of emergent bilinguals and how it impacts literacy development and meaning making in the classroom. Translanguaging by incorporating multimodal writing is one part of the literacy process to engage emergent bilinguals in meaning making.

Translanguaging is a process emergent bilinguals use to make meaning by combining their linguistic knowledge of multiple languages (Rowe, 2018). To support emergent bilinguals’ translanguaging, teachers should create a classroom atmosphere that values student languages and cultures by supporting their home languages. Using these multiple languages to include modes, registers, styles, and dialects represented in the classroom honors the ways emergent bilinguals communicate within their home and community (Duran, 2017). By modeling translanguaging in the classroom, teachers show students the value of all languages. Modeling could include speaking across languages (even if the teacher doesn't speak the language) or highlighting when students and authors do (Rowe, 2018).

Providing authentic opportunities for the use of translanguaging through multimodal writing can engage all students in the literacy process. This encourages risk taking in using both the home language and English (Rowe, 2018). By connecting what is happening in the classroom to students’ lives in meaningful ways, emergent bilinguals will use their translanguaging skills to communicate more effectively. Authentic multimodal opportunities include using photography, peer buddies, and writing experiences are ways to encourage translanguaging. 

Using photography is a way to combine culturally relevant practices and authentic opportunities for multimodal writing. Martinez-Alvarez (2017) investigated using digital photography and comic-making software with six- and seven-year-old emergent bilingual students. Students were given digital cameras to photograph their family life and community experiences. The students then chose photographs they took and created multimodal comics using their chosen pictures. They incorporated both English and Spanish sentences to explain their home and community experiences.  Students who were allowed translanguaging opportunities showed more sophisticated writing in their multimodal text development (Martinez-Alvarez, 2017). Although digital cameras might not be available for classroom teachers to send home, this activity could be easily adapted to document classroom experiences and activities. Tablets and iPads have picture-taking capabilities and could be used to expand upon what is occurring in the classroom or school community.

Writing for an authentic audience and using peer interaction during the writing process can increase the linguistic strategies students use to create meaning in multiple languages. Allowing for writing by using different audiences, such as pen pals, parents, members of the community, siblings, and peers encourages students to experiment with using different grammar, syntax, and semantics in writing and translanguaging (Duran, 2017). 

Another authentic opportunity for multimodal text development and translanguaging use in the classroom is to incorporate the use of peer buddies during the writing workshop process. Using peer buddies during the writing process is a way to encourage translanguaging and meaning making opportunities in a structured writing setting.  By interacting with peers, students develop their literacy skills by being both an expert and learner. They increase their linguistic understanding of language and support each other in their writing and discussions. When classrooms accept the translanguaging skills of students, the knowledge of writing in one language helps students develop writing in both languages (Bauer, 2017). 

It is important that classroom teachers recognize the role of translanguaging within their diverse classrooms. A monolingual view of language development might restrict emergent bilingual’s ability to make and express meaning in two languages (Gort, 2012). When teachers value and model ways languages spoken by their students, through the use of multimodal writing, it increases the engagement of their students. 

 

Bauer, E. B., Presiado, V., & Colomer, S. (2017). Writing through partnership: Fostering 

 

translanguaging in children who are emergent bilinguals. Journal of Literacy Research,

 

49(1), 10-37. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X16683417

 

Duran, L. (2017). Audience and young bilingual writers: Building on strengths. Journal of 

Literacy Research, 49(1), 92-114. https://doi.org/10.1177/10826X16683420

Gort, M. (2012). Code-switching patterns in the writing-related talk of young emergent 

bilinguals. Journal of Literacy Research, 44(1), 45-75. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X11431626

Martinez-Alvarez, P. (2017). Language multiplicity and dynamism: Emergent bilinguals taking 

ownership of language use in a hybrid curricular space. International Multilingual 

Research Journal, 11(4), 255-276. https://doi.org/qp.1080/19313152.2017.131506

Rowe, L. W. (2018). Say it in your language: Supporting translanguaging in multilingual classes. 

The Reading Teacher, 72(1), 31-38. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.167