Debra Evans Mt Alvernia College

1. MAKING IT RELEVANT Connecting Learning; Incorporating Multiliteracies into the Middle Years Classroom – Considerations for Teaching and Learning Debra Evans Mt Alvernia College Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment in the Middle Years

2. MAKING IT RELEVANT What does it mean to be Literate? The information age school is one that is distinguished, not by its networked information technology nor its access to multiple sources of information, but by its capacity to develop students who are able to interact with and utilise this rich information environment to develop their own understandings and knowledge, and who are able to actively contribute to the ongoing development of a thinking, knowledgeable, creative and empowered society. (Ross Todd 2002)

3. Multiliteracies - the ‘turf’ of our young adolescents? ‘The world’s 59million K-12 teachers and two billion students who live in this world of instant communications, still work mainly by themselves.’ (Dryden 2003:1) ‘Ultimately, to meet the needs of our adolescents, we will need to meet them (and assess them) on their own literacy turf. And their turf is wider and more encompassing of different media than the turf of older generations who gravitated to print - which was itself once an “alternative” medium to orality.’ (Kist 2003:7)

4. What are Multiliteracies • Cultural and linguistic diversity - multiculturalism and global integration, along with globalisation of communications and labour markets makes language diversity a critical issue. • New communication technologies - visual, audio, spatial and written linguistic modes. New London Group - Cope and Kalantzis (1997) This demands a new open ended and flexible approach to literacy for our students for success in the 21st century.

5. Why a focus on Multiliteracies? ‘In their out of school lives, computer games, websites, chatrooms and other forms of digital culture present dynamic and attractive worlds and possibilities, both textual and social; powerful resources for identity formation and pleasure and engagement of many kinds…..(Beavis 2001:2) For PARTICIPATION AND SUCCESS We must ensure our students - make meaning, comprehend, articulate and presentinformation that has real merit for learning.

6. Teaching and Learning - How? “Great teachers are using the whole world as a classroom; and students are learning by doing.” (Dryden 2003:6 ) Literacy-technology (lITeracies) is one view of multiliteracies. Teachers need to teach more than the ‘how to’ of lITeracies in today’s classrooms. (Durant et el 2000)

7. Three-Dimensional View of Literacy OPERATIONAL - basic literacy skills, as well as communication skills CULTURAL- subject area particular community or discourse CRITICAL - analyse and effectively construct some meaning Cultural Critical Operational Mr Fisher

8. New London Group - Implementing Multiliteracies SITUATED PRACTICE - base learning in student’s own experience OVERT INSTRUCTION - explicit teaching of metalanguage that describes design CRITICAL FRAMING - investigation of cultural context TRANSFORMED PRACTICE - applications of design in a new context that students have created Ms Jones

9. Considerations in the Classroom ‘Adolescent learners relish autonomy. They become energised when the goals of learning are self-determined or negotiated; when the research topics to be investigated are of interest and of use to them; when they are given real problems to solve and when they are able to jointly negotiate both the nature of the learning task and the assessment regime.’ (Curriculum Corporation 2001:34) INFUSE MULTILITERACIES USING APPROPRIATE PEDAGOGY Employing the Principles guiding Middle Schooling(Barratt 1998) and connecting with multiliteracies and digital literacies helps to create a more engaging and relevant classroom experience.

10. Considerations in the Classroom Considerations into how and what educators should be working on with our young adolescents to ensure that we are moving towards becoming facilitators of ‘interactive learning’. (Tapscott 1998:139) Multimedia presentations

11. Trusims and False Conclusions Truism 1 - The problem with the school system go far beyond the schools. False Conclusion - We should not take dramatic steps to transform schools. Truism 2 - We need to understand the purpose of schools - the ends of education, not just the means. False Conclusion - We should table any discussion of means until we have agreement on the ends Truism 3- The solution to the problem of education is not technology False Conclusion - We should abandon or delay efforts to infuse schools with digital media

12. Trusims and False Conclusions Truism 4 - It’s dumb to teach children how to use computers instead of teaching them math, science, reading and writing. False Conclusion- We should abandon or delay efforts to get the digital media into the schools. Truism 5- Learning is social. False Conclusion- Computers are used individually; therefore they inhibit learning, which is done socially. Truism 6- Teachers are skilled, motivated professionals dedicated to the advancement of their students. False Conclusion- Teachers are not an obstacle.

13. How do they engage Middle Year's learners? MULTIMODAL LEARNING MULTILITERACIES Video Link Designing, planning and producing Representations through popular culture, music and dance

14. Some Best Practices Presentations through movement, dance - popular culture Video footage and multimedia presentations Designing, planning, producing, performing Local examples

15. Best Practices • MR FISHER’S CLASSROOM - Canada • Students need to be conversant in multiple forms of representation, collecting and processing information, including non-print, such as photographs, video footage and phone interview data. Students need to be able to think and talk about what they have done, which is as much an expected achievement as is the product of work. In Mr Fisher’s multiliteracies’ classroom, ‘school is not just about doing – it is about thinking and learning.’ (Kist 2003:3) • MS JONES’ CLASSROOM - Bamaga • ‘The students examine naturalists’ photographs of animals, they examine traditional Torres Strait and New Guinean art which represents stories about the natural world; they plan their own designs, developing a metalanguage which describes abstraction and narrative; they write stories that give their designs meaning and depth; and they make printed sarongs and designs for sports shoes with their ideas.’ Here, the connection is being made between linguistic and visual design, cross-cultural aspects of meaning making.

16. Putting it all together New Literacy Challenge(Green 1998) FUN DISCOVERY BASED CUSTOMIZED CULTURALLY AWARE STUDENT LEARNING STUDENT CENTRED TECHNOLOGICALLY INEPT REAL WORLD CONTEXTS VISUALISE AND ANALYSE DATA

17. From Broadcast to InteractiveLearning Tapscott (1998)

18. ‘Retool Schooling’(Green and Gigum 1998) No other generation has grown up in a society where this high level of technology existed. We as teachers must ‘catch up’ and ensure that our young adolescents are critical and informed users of IT.’(Durant et el 1998)