What is disciplinary literacy and how does multimodal writing with emergent bilinguals fit within this definition? Disciplinary literacy encourages critical thinking of students by allowing them to “...use evidence and artifacts in each discipline to develop their own conclusions and relate their learning to real-life settings” (Colwell, Hutchison, & Woodward, 2020, p. 5). Using different modes in creating multimodal texts with emergent bilinguals can support their acquisition of content in a specific discipline. When teachers allow emergent bilinguals to have a choice in how to communicate their knowledge by using multimodal text, critical thinking and creativity are encouraged (Hasty & Fain, 2014).
In my previous post (November 14), I evaluated three different digital resources to promote creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and comprehension in the classroom. The purpose of this blog is to make a connection to my previous post by providing examples of how incorporating these five principles in disciplinary literacy in social studies and science encourages emergent bilinguals to make meaning.
Dalton (2014) explored creating multimodal texts in a fourth-grade diverse social studies class. Students were allowed the opportunity to use iPads to create multimodal texts to express their understanding of a unit on Colorado history. Students created multimedia to represent their knowledge through using multimedia poetry anthology, a historical image remix, and video narration as news reporters. Planning and layering the use of new digital tools created situations in which students used critical thinking skills in the creation of their text. Students also worked in pairs or groups when creating their representations. Although the students were expected to create each type of text, choice on the ways in which to represent meaning was given for each type. For example, the pictures to or what facts to include for their voice recordings as news narrators were offered as choices. Students engagement in the project increased even when constrained choices were given.
Using language to express their ideas and understanding domain specific vocabulary in science classes can be challenging for emergent bilinguals. Many concepts and vocabulary terms can be abstract. At the same time, these students are navigating grammar and syntax in spoken and written form. Williams et. al (2019) incorporated using multimodal texts representation with 10 bilingual students in a fifth grade science class. These students worked in groups to explore a unit on forces in motion. The students were given an opportunity to use their knowledge to explain real-life examples. In one scenario, the students had to explain their understanding of why, when pulling a dollar bill quickly from under a stack of coins that was resting on top of a glass bottle, the bill detached while the other objects remained motionless. Students were given the inquiry question of “Why did the coins stay on the bottle?”
Students worked in groups and used different modes such as gestures, verbal descriptions, drawings, and writings to explain their understanding. They were given a choice on which mode to represent their understanding of the concept. Students developed a better understanding of scientific understandings of complex terms when multiple representations were used to make and express meaning (Williams et al., 2019).
Although the examples in this post only included social studies and science, the same principles of creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and comprehension can be included in other disciplines. Students bring their own knowledge, values, and identities to create meaning (Shin, 2014). Emergent bilinguals can become designers and communicators by connecting new information to prior knowledge through the use of multimodal texts in different disciplines.
Colwell, J., Hutchinson, A., & Woodward, L. (2020). Digitally Supported Disciplinary Literacy for Diverse K-5 Classrooms. Teachers College Press.
Dalton, B. (2014). Level up with multimodal composition in social studies. The Reading
Teacher, 68(4), 296-302. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1319
Hasty, M.M., & Fain, J. G. (2014). Emergent understandings: Multilingual fourth grade students generating close readings and multimodal responses to global and informational texts.Perspectives on Urban Education, 11(2), 10-20.
Shin, D.-s. (2014). Web 2.0 tools and academic literacy development in a US urbanschool: A case study of a second-grade English language learner. Language and Education, 28(1), 68-85. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2013.771653
Williams, M., Tang, K-S., & Won, M. (2019). ELL’s science meaning making in multimodal inquiry: A case-study in a Hong Kong bilingual school. Asia-Pacific Science Education, 5(3), 2-35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s4102-019-0031-1
important topic here.
ReplyDelete