Running Head: CIP Part 1 1

COLLECTIVE INQUIRY PROJECT (Part 1): Multiliteracies A new look on arts education By

Michael Cebuliak, Ariane Montcalm, Milda Theodule-Willix and Jonathan Weber

ETEC 532 Technology in the arts and humanities classroom

University of British Columbia

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Annotated Bibliography

Barton, J., Sawyer, D., & Swanson, C. (2007). They want to learn how to think: Using art to enhance

comprehension. Language Arts, 85(2), 125-133.

Barton, Sawyer, and Swanson (2007) make the claim that a readers interpretation of a text is

largely dependent on their ability to focus on important information in the text. This attention

comes through observation, or focused attention to detail. By turning to art theory, the authors

show observational strategies that allow readers to glean important details from the text such as

gesture, contrast, vibration, texture, abstraction, and expression, (Barton, Sawyer, & Swanson

2007). These methods allow a reader to connect emotionally which inspire deeper levels of

engagement, awareness, and wonderment. Classes that utilized these techniques had students

perform above average at constructing meaningful comprehension.

Biswas, S. (2014 ,July 3). How to Teach Multiliteracies [Blog post]. Retrieved March 8, 2017 from

http://www.teacherresearch.ca/blog/article/2014/07/03/245-how-to-teach-multiliteracies

In this article, Biswas (2014) discusses how multiliteracies have single handedly revolutionized

the way students are taught as educators prepare them for the realities of the technological world.

She argues that given globalization and the various technological changes; teaching

multiliteracies is indispensable to literacy teaching and learning in 21st century. She highlights

the four main components of multiliteracies which are ; Situated Practice, Overt Instruction,

Critical Framing and Transformed Action. These components allow students to engage in

different forms of texts, video, imagery, rhymes, and poetry. She concludes by stating that

multiliteracies have opened new pedagogical practices that create opportunities for future literacy

teaching and learning activities.

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Caughlan, S. (2008). Advocating for the Arts in an age of Multiliteracies. Language Arts, 86(2), 120.

Caughlan (2008) fights back against art program cuts by addressing many benefits that arts bring

to a school. The author makes the argument that art education and integration benefits students in

an interdisciplinary way as human beings...read and write particular genres that serve social,

cultural, and political purposes, (Caughlan 2008). The arts are also shown to promote the skills

to ensure success in life such as problem solving, maintaining attention, collaboration, self-

confidence, exploration, and conflict negotiation. Finally, an argument is made for the arts and

languages being mutually beneficial partners, as both are forms of engagement with the human

and natural world.

Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2001, February). Putting Multiliteracies to the test. Newsletter of the

Australian Literacy Educators Association. Retrieved March 8, 2017 from:

https://www.alea.edu.au/documents/item/59

Authors Cope and Kalantzis (2001) argue that multiliteracies are changing our personal, public

and working lives, which in turn transform our cultures and the ways that we communicate with

each other. Their position emerged from the growing significance of cultural and linguistic

diversity along with the proliferation of new communication technologies. Consequently, they

suggest that significant changes must be made to the traditional definitions of literacy and the

way it is being taught. They described how educators throughout the world were putting

multiliteracies to the test by using the theoretical elements of multiliteracies to make connections

between linguistic and visual design and the cross cultural aspects of making meaning.

Dodd, S. (2013, December 20). Technology, fine art & design in STEAM EDU: Sherri Dodd at

TEDxHarambee. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brSEHxn_i1A
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STEM, a school wide focus on science, technology, engineering and math, was viewed as the

answer to how schools can prepare students for the future, fitting in with the 21st Century

Education paradigm, so that it affords students to: devise unique solutions to problems;

communicate their ideas clearly, and collaborate across time and distance. The problem with the

approach, within the STEM framework, is that there is nothing that drives innovation; therein,

STEAM EDU was developed wherein an education within arts, and artistic literacy, is seen as the

means to innovation. Sherri Dodd (2013) argues that arts, within STEAM, should not be

integrated into the curriculum but should be a core component of the curriculum to fuel

innovation.

Geist, K., Geist, E. A., & Kuznik, K. (2012). The Patterns of Music: Young Children Learning

Mathematics through Beat, Rhythm and Melody. Young Children, 74-79. Retrieved March 15,

2017, from https://www.naeyc.org/yc/files/yc/file/201201/Geist_Patterns_of_Music_Jan012.pdf

In this article, Geist et al. (2012) first state that the language of music possesses inherently

mathematical principles, such as patterning, sequencing and many others. Consequently, one may

infer that an understanding of such terms inherent within music literacy lend themselves to

understanding mathematical principles. When musical concepts (i.e. musical literacy) are taught

hand-in-hand with math concepts (i.e math literacy) it helps reinforce the mathematical concepts.

As Geist et al stated: The children who did not have the musical experiences, along with the

mathematics had trouble recalling any of the [mathematical] concepts that were discussed in the

lessons (p. 78).

Holloway, S. M. (2012). Visual literacies and multiliteracies: An ecology arts-based pedagogical model.

Language & Literacy: A Canadian Educational E-Journal, 14, 150-168.

In this ecology arts-based study, the author explores the visual and critical literacies that

students encounter as they use photography to engage in metacognitive activities about their
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relationships with their environment and their communities. An argument is made for the use

of visual literacies and multiliteracies as they help to augment print-based literacy practices

and forces the youth to think of creative ways to serve as global citizens. She describes how

the implementation of the tenets of a multiliteracies framework deepens students thinking

about ecology through an unexpected curricula juxtapositions ways of seeing ecological

systems individually and as global citizens Holloway (2012).

Ma, W. W. K., Yuen, A. H. K., Park, J., & SpringerLINK ebooks - Humanities, Social Sciences and Law.

(2015; 2014;). New media, knowledge practices and multiliteracies HKAECT 2014 international

conference (2015th ed.). Singapore: Springer Singapore. doi:10.1007/978-981-287-209-8

This collection of papers from the HKAECT International Conference in 2014 on New Media,

Knowledge Practices, and Multiliteracies provides valuable insights on the interactions between

culture, disciplines, media, and technology. In Chapter 20, Reed (2015) makes the case for ICT

in interdisciplinary approaches, as it make connections between content areas relevant,

motivating, and realistic. Fung and Ma (2015) show that students attitudes toward role-playing

video production (RVP) benefit the students generic skill development. Furthermore, they study

the benefits of using mobile devices as the vehicle of integration.

O'Brien, A. (2015). Creating Multimodal Texts. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from

https://creatingmultimodaltexts.com/

OBrien (2015) informs us that it is near impossible to be media literate in our age of transmedia

(a combination of multiple media forms wherein one form augments the other to further, for

example, tell a story) intertextual (the interrelationship between text particularly evident in digital

texts such as webpages where meaning is conveyed by multiple forms of text) and multimodal

text (composed of two or more of the following meaning systems: written/linguistic, audio,

visual, gestural, and spatial), without an understanding of concepts inherent to artistic literacy.
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The process of constructing [and understanding] such texts is also truly a cross-disciplinary

process [the authors emphasis], drawing on digital information technologies and The Arts

(media, music, drama, visual arts design) to bring meaning to life.

Purdue OWL: Visual Rhetoric Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2017, from

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/691/01/

In this section of OWL (2017) we discover that visual literacy, an important aspect of digital

literacy, is generally divided into three categories: visual thinking, visual learning and visual

rhetoric/ communication. Visual rhetoric is probably the most important aspect of visual literacy,

across the curriculum, as it is here that images are presented as arguments, arrangements of

elements on a page create meaning, typography is used for specific purposes and, lastly, there is

an analysis of existing images and visuals. Within all disciplines, we must be able to read, dissect

and produce effective visuals. Being digitally literate, denotes an understanding of these

rhetorical features but of particular importance is color theory as most digital texts use color to

persuade by means of their associative appeal to pathos; whereas, other visual rhetorical means

persuade primarily by logos.

Serafini, F. (2015). Multimodal literacy: From theories to practices. Language Arts, 92(6), 412

In order to understand visual images and multimodal features, children need knowledge of the

meaning-making systems used in their production (Serafini 2015). The author lays out a

theoretical framework for addressing multimodal literacy using three different perspectives:

perceptual, structural, and ideological analytical. Using these perspectives, a text could even be

reimagined as a visual object, a multimodal event, or a socio-cultural artifact, respectively. The

author stresses the importance of classrooms including approaches that examine how visual

images and multimodal texts function in broader sociocultural contexts, also addressing how the

ways we view them inform our lives and identities.

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Shaffer, K. Stern, E (2012, November 18). Math dance: Erik Stern and Karl Schaffer at

TEDxManhattanBeach. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws2y-cGoWqQ

Erik Stern and Karl Shaffer (2012) have been fascinated by the connection between mathematical

literacy and movement, or dance literacy. In their studies, they have discovered a number of

ways in which people learn: embodying the problem is memorable as its social and creative and

makes the mathematical ideas accessible; and, chorographical and mathematical thinking are

composed of similar building blocks (eg. noting changes, remembering sequences, asking if

things are bigger or smaller, checking your work to see if it is consistent and so on). By creating

symmetric movements, as well as other dance representations of math, students were reinforced

with the concept as the doing component augmented the seeing component and, as stated earlier,

embodying the problem made it memorable.

Shenfield, R. (2015) Literacy in the Arts. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years, 23(1), 47-55

The literacy landscape is being reshaped and continues to do so as multiliteracies and multimodal

approaches continue to penetrate the classroom. Sheffield (2015) in her article discusses the

relationships between artistic inquiry, literacy, along with the multiliteracies, multimodal

approaches and critical literacy in the Arts in Australia. The author stresses the importance of the

cultivation of imagination, creativity and the formation of deeper theory surrounding

multimodality and multiliteracies in the Arts. She postulates that a quality Arts education program

serves as an excellent platform for immersing students in activities that encourage creative

expression, communication, aesthetically rich understanding and connection to the world around

them. Sheffield (2015 )

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Review of literature

As the literacy landscape rapidly changes and evolves alongside the information and

communication technologies being used to create and interpret meaning, we, as educators feel it is

important and relevant to reflect on the continuously changing nature of multiliteracies and equip

ourselves with the knowledge and strategies required to support our students in the acquisition of such

rapidly evolving forms of literacy.

Throughout this course, it has become evident that arts education possesses unique potential in

its ability to teach 21 century literacy skills. As such, in this literary review, we present and discuss
st

works that explore this topic. Our areas of inquiry include the relation between multiliteracies and arts

teaching (and its importance within the current context), the learning and teaching processes at play in

the development of literacy, and, specific applications of these in the arts classroom. Finally, we will

take a broader look at this topic as we explore how it relates to interdisciplinarity, and more

specifically, the cross curricular benefits, possibilities, and broad skill set that can emerge through a

focus on multiliteracies and the arts.

The relevancy of multiliteracies in education

The concept of multiliteracies is increasingly important in education. As authors Cope and

Kalantzis (2001) argue in Putting Multiliteracies to the test, the growing significance of cultural and

linguistic diversity, along with the proliferation of new communication technologies, have resulted in

Multiliteracies that are changing our personal, public and working lives, which in turn transform our

cultures and the way we communicate with each other. As such, they advance that traditional

definitions of literacy, along with the way literacy is being taught, must be significantly changed. In

this article they explore how various educators are utilizing Multiliteracies approaches to make
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connections between linguistic and visual design and the cross cultural aspects of constructing

meaning.

Multiliteracies acquisition and the art classroom

Along the same lines as Cope and Kalantzis article but with a particular focus on literacy in

the arts, Shenfield (2015) argues that the literacy landscape is continually being reshaped as

Multiliteracies and multimodal approaches continue to penetrate the classroom. Shenfield discusses

the important relationships between artistic inquiry and literacy and postulates that quality arts

education programs serve as an excellent platform for developing Multiliteracies, as they immerse

learners in activities that encourage creative expression, communication, and understanding and

connection to the world around them.

Also advocating for the importance of the arts in the an age of multiliteracies, Caughlan

(2008) advances similar arguments in regards to multiliteracies and arts, but stresses the relevance of

the issue by situating us in the current educational context in which unfortunately, many cuts are being

made to arts programs in schools. She poignantly argues for the interdisciplinary benefits (beyond the

art classroom) art education provides; art education allows learners to engage with the world, to

interpret and make meaning through various genres, or modalities that serve social, cultural and

political purposes: "Literacy is not a set of autonomous skills but a varied collection of purposeful

practices firmly situated in social cultural contexts" (Caughlan, 2008, p.120).

Adopting a similar position, Holloway (2012) argues for the teaching of visual literacies and

multiliteracies as they help to augment print-based literacy practices and encourage creativity as youth

learn to serve as global citizens. More specifically, the author explores the visual and critical literacies

that learners encounter as they use photography to engage in metacognitive activities about their

relationships with their environment and communities. Although we feel that many of the authors
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arguments are supported, such as the importance of students learning to engage with their

environments and communities and to act as global citizens, the view that multiliteracies are beneficial

in the way that they can augment print based literacy could be contested, as this statement carries the

assumption that print-based literacy and communication is and will remain the primary modality in

which meaning is created and interpreted (an idea that can easily be contested when examined against

the trends in todays changing text/communication landscape).

Teaching multiliteracies through art

The three articles discussed so far have drawn connections between multiliteracies and arts

education and argue for the importance of multiliteracies approaches within art education programs. In

the following section, we will review and discuss three articles that explore and attempt to illustrate

the mechanics of multiliteracies acquisition in the arts classroom.

In order to understand visual images and multimodal features, Serafini (2015) argues that

children need knowledge of the meaning-making systems used in their production. The author lays out

a theoretical framework for teaching multimodal literacy using three different analytical perspectives:

perceptual, structural and ideological. The author points to the interconnectedness of these three

analytical perspectives, and to the importance that our students develop all three forms. Serafini also

argues for the importance of approaches that examine how visual images and multimodal texts

function in broader sociocultural contexts, supporting Caughlans (2008) claim that literacy is not a set

of autonomous skills but varied practices firmly situated in social cultural contexts.

Through the examination of more specific aspects of art theory and teaching, Barton, Sawyer

& Swanson (2007) demonstrate how observational strategies based on art theory principles (such as

gesture, contrast, vibration, texture, abstraction, and expression) allow learners to identify important

details in text but also connect emotionally with text, supporting the idea that art principles can
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develop broader literacy skills. The authors found that of these art techniques resulted in students

performing better in constructing meaningful comprehension.

Although not focused solely on art education, Biswas (2014), in How to teach multiliteracies,

highlights the revolutionary effect of multiliteracies on 21 century teaching and learning in how is has
st

created several opportunities for new pedagogical practices. She breaks down multiliteracies teaching

into four main instructional components: situated practice, overt instruction, critical framing and

transformed action. This article is of particular value in the way it provides concrete applications of

instructional processes to teaching multiliteracies in the classroom. It is through these components that

learners can experience and engage in different modalities.

Interdisciplinarity, multiliteracies and the Arts

The skills and methods from the fine arts classroom not only have applications inside the arts

classroom but also have an overarching, transformational effect when applied in a cross curricular,

interdisciplinary way. We now step outside multiliteracies in the arts classroom to review literature

that examines connections between arts based multiliteracies learning approaches and other disciplines

across the curriculum.

In Creating multimodal texts, OBrien presents the interesting argument that it is near

impossible to be media literate in our age of transmedia (combinations of media where one form

augments another), intertextual (meaning conveyed by multiple forms of text) and multimodal

(composed of multiple meaning systems such as audio, spatial, visual) text without an understanding

of concepts inherent to artistic literacy. As such, artistic literacy somewhat acts as a prerequisite to the

acquisition of media literacy, which is applied across all knowledge domains. The author emphasizes

that the process of constructing, and understanding, such texts is truly a cross-disciplinary process that

draws on both digital information technology and The Arts, to bring meaning to life. Therefore, the
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idea of media literacy is one that should be viewed as interdisciplinary and that should be integrated in

the curriculum.

In Visual Rhetoric Overview, Purdue (2017) furthers our acceptance of the idea that visual

literacy (an important aspect of digital literacy) is necessary within all disciplines in order to be able to

read, dissect and produce effective visuals. The author divides visual literacy into three categories,

visual thinking, visual learning and visual rhetoric/communication and advances that the later form, is

probably the most important aspect of visual literacy across the curriculum as it is through it that

images are presented as arguments, arrangements of elements on a page are used to create meaning,

typography is used intentionally, etc. Being media literate denotes an understanding of these rhetorical

features which draw on principles inherent to the Arts.

Further exploring interdisciplinarity, the following articles identify multiliteracies approaches

that connect mathematics and sciences to the arts.

In The Patterns of Music, Geist et al. (2012) state that the language of music possesses

inherently mathematical principles, such as patterning, sequencing and many others. Consequently,

one may infer that an understanding of terms inherent to music literacy lend themselves to

understanding mathematical principles. The authors demonstrate that musical concepts (i.e. musical

literacy) taught alongside of math concepts (i.e math literacy) help reinforce the mathematical

concepts.

Fascinated by the connection between mathematical literacy and movement/dance literacy,

Stern & Shaffer (2012) explore a number of ways in which people learn in Math Dance. Firstly, they

discuss how chorographical and mathematical thinking are composed of similar building blocks (eg.

noting changes, remembering sequences, asking if things are bigger or smaller, verifying your work

for consistency) and secondly, explain how embodying mathematical problems through various dance
CIP (Part 1) 13

representations made the mathematical ideas accessible, memorable, social and creative for the

learners.

As we look at the topic more broadly in terms of the role of arts education within and across

the curriculum, we reviewed Dodds (2013) TED Talk, Technology, fine art & design in STEAM EDU.

Dodd argues that while STEM, a school wide focus on science, technology, engineering and math, was

viewed as the answer to how schools can prepare students for the future, fitting in with the 21st

Century Education paradigm, there was a problem with the approach of the framework, as nothing

drove innovation. STEAM EDU was developed wherein an education within arts, and artistic literacy,

is seen as the means to innovation. Dodd (2013) argues that arts, within STEAM, should not be

integrated into the curriculum but should be a core component of the curriculum to fuel innovation.

Conclusion

This literary review points to a large body of literature which establishes the importance and

relevance of considering multiliteracies within our learning and teaching approaches. By leveraging the

different applications provided by these authors, we have illustrated the specific mechanics at play in art

education as they relate to multiliteracies, and in particular digital literacy. Additionally, we have

highlighted the unique opportunities that art education can provide in building the literacy skills our

students require, both in the art classroom, and across the curriculum. By embracing the methodologies

and perspectives seen in the arts classroom, students can be better prepared for the diverse and complex

future that awaits them.