According to the video, multimodal literacy is the ability to comprehend and respond to multimodal texts, and also the ability to compose multimodal texts. In other words, it equips learners with the skills to understand and create messages using a variety of communication modes, not just written and spoken language.
The speaker, Kieran Donaghy, argues that multimodal literacy is essential in today’s digital age, where communication is increasingly visual and multimodal. He emphasizes that teachers need to move beyond traditional language teaching methods and incorporate multimodal texts into their classrooms.
Here are some of the benefits of using multimodal texts in the classroom according to the video:
- Makes information more accessible for all learners, especially those with learning difficulties.
- Facilitates comprehension by providing visual and other cues alongside written text.
- Engages learners on an emotional level by bringing in multimodal texts from their daily lives.
- Provides opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills by analyzing multimodal texts.
- Helps students become more effective communicators in a variety of contexts.
The speaker also mentions the concept of viewing, which is the ability to understand and analyze visual media. He suggests that viewing should be integrated into language teaching alongside the traditional four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
