Discovering design possibilities through a pedagogy of multiliteracies

Abstract

Research and educational policies have alerted teachers to the importance of
multiliteracies. Communication in society today is characterised by rapidly
changing and emergent forms of meaning-making in a context of increased
cultural and linguistic diversity. This paper responds to these imperatives,
releasing key findings of a critical ethnography concerning interactions
between pedagogy and access to multiliteracies among culturally and
linguistically diverse learners. Data collection involved 18 days of lesson
observations over 10 weeks using field and journal notes, continuous
audiovisual and audio recording, and the collection of cultural artefacts.
Semi-structured interviewing was also conducted with the teacher, principal,
and four students. Data analytic tools included low and high inference
coding and pragmatic horizon analysis. Findings concerned the use of overt
instruction and situated practice in the teacher’s enactment of the
multiliteracies pedagogy. This had a significant influence on the learners’
ability to access claymation movie designing. Comparisons are made
between the learning that occurred for students of the dominant,
Anglo-Australian, middle-class culture, and for those who were not. The
conclusion addresses relevant literature concerning how to apply the
multiliteracies pedagogy to enable meaningful designing.