Reflections of Identity in Multimodal Projects · 2019-05-16 · Brenner, Andres, and Collins...

Reflections of Identify in Multimodal Projects�

Issues in Teacher Education

Reflections of Identity in Multimodal ProjectsTeacher Education in the Pacific

Marva CappelloSan Diego State University

Issues in Teacher Education, Spring 2019

Introduction

Contemporarysocieties,whetherintheUnitedStatesorthePacificareoverwhelmingvisualincharacter.Yet,schoolsatalllevelscontinuetoprivilegewrittentextasdemonstrationsoflearningoveranyotherformofcommunication.Avisualcurriculumhasthepotentialtostrengtheninstructionacrossdisciplinesandoffersstudentsanotherwaytoexpresstheirknowledge.Asareceptivemediator,imagescanprovidesupportfor students who may be new to school, or English, or otherwise inneedadditionalscaffoldingofverbal languageexperiences (Cappello&Walker,201�;Marzano,Pickering,&Pollock,2001).Whenusedforliteracy production, visuals may also help students to communicatetheirnewideasandunderstandings(Cappelo&Hollingsworth,2008;Cappello&Lafferty,2015;Eisner,2002).Moreover,privilegingvisualtextsasstudentdemonstrationsofknowledgemayprovidestudentsanotherwisemissingopportunitytoexpressculturalknowledgeandidentity(Franquiz&Brochin-Ceballos,200�). Indeed,visualscanimprovelearningoutcomesbycreatingnewop-

Marva Cappello is a professor and director of the Graduate Reading Program and director of the Center for Visual Literacies in the College of Education at San Diego State University, San Diego, California. Her email address is [email protected]©2019byCaddoGapPress

Marva Cappello �

Volume 28, Number 1, Spring 2019

portunitiesforstudentstodisplaytheirknowledgewithinandbeyondthecurriculum.Keepingthisinmind,Idesignedinstructionalopportunitiesforteachereducationstudentstoexpresstheirideasthroughtransme-diatedclassroomexperienceswherevisualswereintegratedalongsidetraditionaloralandwrittenlanguageforms.Thisarticleexploresthewaysvisualsenabledstudentexpressionofcurricularknowledgeandpersonalidentityinamaster’slevelteachereducationcontextinAmeri-canSamoa. Thefollowingresearchquestionsguidedthestudy:Inwhatwaysdidprivilegingvisualsprovidestudentswithanotherwaytoexpresscurricular understandings?; How did the process of creating visualsmediateopportunitiesforlearnerstoreflectandexploreidentity?

Theoretical Framework

In19�3,Dondiswrotethatschools“stillpersistinanemphasisontheverbalmodetotheexclusionoftherestofthehumansensoriumandwithlittlesensitivity,ifany,totheoverwhelminglyvisualcharacterofthelearningexperience”(p.10).Sadly,notmuchhaschanged,excepttheincreasingvisualnatureofcontemporarysociety.Visualtextsareanintegralpartofourcommunicationprocess.Itisimportantforustoremember,“ourlanguageabilitiesdonotdefinethelimitsofourcogni-tion”(Eisner,2002,p.12). Emergingfromsemiotics,amultimodalperspectivethatvaluesmul-tipleanddiversecommunicationsystemshasbeenwelldevelopedandmuchhasbeenwrittenaboutapplyingthesetheories inK-12schools(Jewitt&Kress,2003;Kress&vanLeeuwen,2001;Lankshear&Knobel,200�).Amultiliteraciesperspectivehasalsobeenexploredinthecontextofteachereducation.Cervetti,Damico,andPearson(2008)offerfiverec-ommendationsforpromotingamultiliteraciesperspectiveinpreserviceteachereducationincludingplacingstudentteachersinsettingwheremultiliteraciesareatregularplayandinprogramswherefutureteachers“learnabout,throughandwithtechnologybasedmedia”(p.383).Ajayi(2011),Cappello(2011),andSheridan-Thomas(200�)focusonexpandingteachereducationtoincludeopportunitiestoexploremultiliteraciesintheircourseworkasawaytohelpteachersredefineliteracyforthe21stCenturyandincludecomplexinstructionalexperiencesthatinvolvemorethantraditionalprint-basedliteracyengagements. Multiliteracyandmultimodalexperiencesmaybeusedspecificallyforthepurposesofexploringidentity,especiallyincontextswhenschoolisseenasan“actofsocialreproductionaswellasthatofeducationinskillsandknowledge,studentscanstrugglewhentheirpersonaland

Reflections of Identify in Multimodal Projects8


culturalbackgroundsdifferfromtheexpectednorms”(O’Neill,2015,p. 505). Several studies explore how students’ visuals may expressrelationships and “provide data not available via language-focusedapproaches” (Zenkov,Harmon,&vanLier,2008,p.1�2). Inanotherexample,KendrickandJones(2008)offeredphotographyanddraw-ing to Ugandan schoolgirls as tools to situate their own lives andexperiencesalongsideschoolliteracypractices.Students’visualtexts“openedbroaderdialoguesonliteracy,women,anddevelopment”(p.3�2).FranquizandBrochin-Ceballos (200�)describehowchildren’suse of visuals created a safe space to “link cultural practices fromhome and community to broader struggles for social change” (p. �)andarticulatetheirborderidentities.Giampapa(2010)created“cur-ricularmodifications”thatweredesignedforfourthgraderstocreatemultimodalimagesthatexpressduallanguageidentity.Herpedagogywasdesignedto“drawfromthelinguisticandculturalformsofcapitalandidentitiesofstudentsandtheirfamilies…toopenupopportunitiesforstudentstoaccesstheacademicliteraciesthatarevaluedwithinschools”(p.409).However,Lenters(201�)foundfamiliesresistanttothe idea of sharing their stories for digitally produced multimodalcompositions.Evenwithintherevisedcurricularapproach,shecallsfortheconsiderationofaffectinmultiliteraciespedagogy. Otherresearchershaveexploredtheuseofmultiliteracyprojectsforidentityarticulationattheuniversitylevel(Brenner,Andres,&Collins,2004;Vinogradov,Linville,&Bickel,2011;Wang2009).Brenner,Andres,andCollins (2004), all visualartists, created coursework specificallydesignedtoprepareuniversitystudentsfordegreeprogramsthatbuilton“existingstrengthsandculturallyfamiliarideasinordertoensurethatstudents’experiencesaregivenanactiveroleinthecurriculum.”Similarly,Vinogradov,Linville,andBickel(2011)studiedthemultimodaldigital stories createdby international students learningEnglish inpreparationformatriculationindegreeprograms.Wang(2009)engagedAmericancollegestudentsinabook-makingprojectinwhichtheirvisualtextswerecomposedasinterpretationsoftheirpersonalidentityandthenusedcontentanalysistocriticallyexaminetheculturalmessagesandmeanings. Althoughthemultiliteracyengagementsatthecoreofthisstudywerenotspecificallydesignedtosupportteachereducationstudents’expressionofidentity,theprojectscreatedawayforstudentstosharetheirperspectivesandinsightsonpowerandstatusinSamoanculturewitheachotherandwithme,theteacherresearcherfromthemainland.Ibelieve“howstudentsrevealtheiridentitytextsthroughmultimodalengagements reflects the significance of being able to understand,

Marva Cappello 9


communicate,andthinkinalternativeways”(Binder&Kotsopoulos,2011,p.340).

Methods

Thisinterpretivecasestudyincludesananalysisofqualitativedatageneratedfrommultiplevisualandtexturalsources,includingteachereducationbasedlearningproducts.Datafromstudentworkincludeddigitalphotographicstoriesandvisualbasedlessonplans.Photographywasincludedbecauseithaswidereachingaccess,canbesimplytaught,andthuscouldeasilyserveasanothermeansforexpression.However,thekeyreasonphotographywasincludedwasbecausewhenwephoto-graphsomething,“weconferimportance”(Sontag,19��,p.28).Indeed,theactofmakingphotographsdemonstratestheneedtocaptureanidea,event,oramomentintime.

Context and Participants

SanDiegoStateUniversityhasa40-yearhistoryofpartnershipsinthePacificasdescribedontheirwebpage:

San Diego State University partners with community colleges andothergovernmentalandeducationalentitiesintheWesternandSouthPacificregionstoofferdegreesusingauniqueeducationalmodelwhereindividualsseekinganeducationmustworkwithforeignorU.S.uni-versities to gain admission and matriculate through an on-campusprogram.Throughtechnologyandinnovativeinstructionaldesign,thismodelblendsvirtualtechnologiesandface-to-faceinstructionwithsite-basedfacilitators,enablingPacificIslanderstoaccessundergraduateandgraduatedegreeswithouthavingtotravelabroad(SanDiegoStateUniversityinthePacific,n.d.).

IhavebeeninvolvedwiththeCenterforPacificStudiesforfouryears,inwhichtimeIhavedesignedcurriculumforandtraveledtoteachingassignmentsinPohnpei,FederatedStatesofMicronesiaandPalau.Thisresearchevolvedoutofahybridcourseonvisualliteracy,thesecondcourseintwoyearsIwasfortunatetohavetheopportunitytoteachtoacohortofmaster’sstudentsineducationonAmericanSamoa.BothcoursesonAmericanSamoaincludedtripstoTutuilaforface-to-faceinstructionthatcomprisedone-thirdofthecoursemeetings,aswellasteachingengagementsconductedthroughBlackboard(andCollaborate)andSkype.CentraltothisstudyarethedigitalstorytellingstudentproductscreatedforTE�05InnovationsinInstruction:VisualLiteracyinAmericanSamoa.Throughthepartnership,Iwasabletoprovidestudentswithinexpensivedigitalcamerasinlieuoftextbooks.Thesecameras,alongwiththecomputers



theyreceivedwhentheymatriculated,providedthetoolsneededtofullyparticipateinthecourse.Onlineandface-to-faceworkshopsthatguidedstudentsthroughtheprocessofcreatingadigitalstorywerescheduledthroughoutthesemester.Studentsparticipatedinactivitiesthatsupportedtopicchoice,resourcecollection,andstoryboarddevelopment.TheyalsoreceivedsupportontheuseofMicrosoftPhotoStory3thatcameinstalledforfreeontheircomputersandwastheprimarysoftwareusedforcreat-ingtheirdigitalstories. InAmericanSamoa,youcanbecomeanelementaryschoolteacherwithahighschooldiploma.Althoughmystudentsbroughtarangeofclassroomandadministrativeexperiencestoourcourses,all24 (fivemenand19women)werematriculatedinamaster’sdegreeprogramineducationinpartnershipwithSanDiegoStateUniversity,evidenceoftheirdedicationtoourfieldandthechildreninthecommunitiestheyserve.Since there isno local institutionofferingdegreesbeyondAs-sociate(AmericanSamoaCommunityCollege),toooften,thestudentswholeavetheirhomeislandtopursuedegreeselsewheredonotreturntocontributetotheadvancementoftheirlocalcommunity.Thismodelisdesignedsothatparticipantscancontinuetoprovideresourcesandexpertisetotheirlocalcommunitiesthroughouttheirprogramandaftertheyhaveearnedtheirdegree.Mystudentswerecommitted tosup-portingandmaintainingtheircultureandthecohortincludedleadersintheireducationcommunityaswellaschiefsandwivesofchiefsthatheldhighstatus.OtherstudentstraveledfromoutlyingislandssuchasManu’atocometoclasswhileIwasonTutuila.

Data Sources

CentraltothisstudyarethedigitalstorytellingstudentproductscreatedforTE�05InnovationsinInstruction:VisualLiteracyinAmeri-canSamoa.Theprojectwasdesignedtosupportthestudentlearningoutcomesidentifiedforthecourseincludinghelpingstudentsto“(re)defineliteracythroughanewliteraciesperspective”and“findinnovativewaystomeetstandards,benchmarks,andindicatorsacrossthecurriculum.”Theprojectwasheavilyweightedandcontributed50%oftheiroverallgradeforthecourse.Expectationsweremadeclearinthesyllabus:

Youwilluseyourownphotographicimagestocreateadigitalnarrative.‘Digitalstorytellingisthepracticeofusingcomputer-basedtoolstotellstories.Aswithtraditionalstorytelling,mostdigitalstoriesfocusonaspecifictopicandcontainaparticularpointofview.However,asthenameimplies,digitalstoriesusuallycontainsomemixtureofcomputer-basedimages,text,recordedaudionarration,videoclipsand/ormusic.’(Digitalstorytelling,n.d.)

Marva Cappello 11


Your digital story will illustrate a standard/benchmark/indicator. ItdoesnothavetoTEACHthestandard,butratherdemonstrateone.Forexample,youmightcreateabiographyofafamousAmericanSamoantofulfillahistorystandardoryoumighttellastorythatusesallitera-tiontomeetaliteracystandard.Yourstorywillemphasizethevisualandhighlightyourownimages.Itwillalsoincludemusicand/orvoicenarration.Remember,youareexpectedtocreatethephotographsforyournarrative.

Althoughthesyllabusmadeitclearthatstudentswereexpectedto create their own images for theirdigital stories, several studentsrequestedpermissiontoincludeInternetimagesandvideoclipsandinonecasedescribedlaterinthepaper,imagesonloanfromanoutsidesource.Thefinalprojectswererichmultimodalnarrativesthatcom-binedtheirownimagesandvideos,aswellasexistingvisualresourcesincludingdrawings,cartoons,advertisements,signs,photographs,andshortvideoclips.Somestudentsincludedcomputergraphics.Allofthedigitalstoriesincludedmusicandnarration.

Data Analysis

Visualresearchmethods,andspecificallyvisualdiscourseanalysisoffersahelpfulperspective to interpret the lessonoutcomes createdthroughtransmediateduniversityclassroomexperienceswherevisu-als were integrated alongside traditional oral and written languageforms.TheprocessusedtointerpretthedigitalstoriesdrewuponthemethodsofvisualdiscourseanalysisdescribedbyAlbers,200�,2014;KressandVanLeeuwen,199�;andSerafini,2014.Theseresearchers’methodshaveseveralfactorsincommon:theyarebothpracticalandcritical,theyadvocateforanexplorationofvisualgrammarasatoolforunderstandingmessages,andtheyfocusonthewaysimagescreaterelationshipsbetweenthemakerandviewer.Thislastperspective,onsocial interactions,guidesmycloseandcriticalreadingofthevisualdataforillustrationsofteachers’beliefsabouttheiridentity. Specifically,Ichosetofocusonthevisualaspectsthatrepresentin-terpersonalfunctionsand“projectaparticularsocialrelationbetweentheproducer,theviewerandtheobjectrepresented”(Kress&vanLeeuwen,199�,p.41).Albers(200�)describestheinteractionamongthemaker,image content, and viewer as conversations because“when learnerscreatevisualtexts,theydosotocommunicateorhaveaconversationwithviewers”(p.92). Theseconversationsframedmyunderstandingofthemakers’commu-nicationofidentity(seeFigure1).Myexaminationfocusedonthecriticalaspectsofhowthestudent’smultimodalprojectsservedas“languageused



toconveypowerandstatusincontemporarysocialinteraction”(Kress&vanLeeuwen,199�,p.13).Thus,theseconversationsmayillustratesocialidentitiesandconventions.Asallofthedigitalstorieswerecre-atedinresponsetoanexpectationinauniversitycourse,Ithoughtitwouldalsobeinterestingtoexploretheir“socialacceptability”(Albers,200�)asaresponsetotherequirementsofassignment.

Multimodal Messaging Within and Beyond the Curriculum

Findingssuggestthemultimodalandvisuallyintegratedclass-roomexperiencesbecamemeansforexpressionwithinandbeyondthecurriculum.

Expressions of Curricular Understandings

Therequiredmultimodalprojectprovidedopportunitiesforteachereducation students tomeet the expected course learningoutcomes.Twenty-threeof24studentscreatedadigitalstory(acurricularin-novation)thatfocusedonaspecificgradelevelstandardorbenchmarktheyfeltshouldbeincludedintheireducationportfolios.Whilemoststudentschosetoaddresslanguagearts,music,orsocialsciencebench-marksthatlendthemselvestonarratives,otherschallengedthemselvestofocusonmathematicsandscience.Inaddition,theprojecthelpedstudentsunderstandthepotentialofofferingmultiplecommunicationtoolstotheirownstudents.Onestudentreflectedsurpriseinwhathelearnedfromusingacameratocreateimagesforhisassignment.“Averysimpleexercise…openedmyeyestoviewthingsfromdifferentangles.Eversincethatsimplelesson,Ibegantoperceivethingsfrom

Figure 1Understanding identity through multimodal conversations

Marva Cappello 13


variousperspectivesinsteadofone.”Sasa’ereflectedonhowthecourseandspecifically:

Theprojectmademeseeaworldinwhichimagesandvisualsarevitaltostudentlearning.Ibelievethatmyartifactdemonstratestheauto-maticconnectionstudentsmakebetweenwhatisbeingtaughtintheclassroomtowhattheyseehappeningeverydayoutsideoftheclassroom.Theimagesteacherschoosetousetoteachtheirlessonsarepowerful,inthattheymakeanimpactonwhatandhowstudentslearn.

Masinarecognizedthatvisualsareusedforbothproductiveandrecep-tivepurposeswithinthecurriculum:

Iexploredthewayvisualsmaysupportlanguagelearninganddevel-opmentandhowvisualsmaybeusedforstudentstodemonstratenewlearning.Theotherwayistoengagethestudentsinthinkingaboutwaystoreadimagesaswellasmakeimages.

Whileisituncleariftheteachereducationstudentsredefinedtheirideasofliteracy,itisclearthattheyseethepotentialofprojectssuchasdigitalstorytellingfortheirownpedagogyandspecificallyasatooltoexpresscurricularunderstandings.Teuilashared:

Icanseemyselfusingdigitalstorytellinginmyownclassroom.Mystudentswillhavefuncreatingtheirdigitalstorytellingasawayofintroductioninmyclasstoportraywhotheyare,whattheirhobbiesare,andwhattheyhopetolearnfrommyclassthisschoolyear.Achievingthisgoalwillhelpmystudentsexploreadventurestheyhaveneverexploredbefore,andIcan’twaittoinspirethemandimplementdigitalstorytellinginmyclass.

Anotherstudent,Isaac,oneofthreemenwhotaughthighschoolchoir,hasbecomeanadvocateforusingmultimodalprojects:

[Thisproject]identifieshowwecanputcomplexideasintoadiffer-entmediumthatwillhelpstudentslearnbetterandmoreeffectively.Implementingandencouragingthisnewapproachcanbesuccessfulwhenallstakeholders,fromadministratorstoteachers,parentsandthecommunitycometogethertoshareandhelpdevelopbetterpracticestoenrichthelearningexperiencesofthestudents.

Expressions of Identity

Privilegingvisualsnotonlyprovidedstudentswithanotherwaytoexpresscurricularunderstandings,butthedigitalstorytellingprojectalsogavestudentsopportunitiestoexpressunderstandingsbeyondthesyllabus.Althoughnotarequisitecomponentof theassignment, theanalyticconversationsrevealedthewaysteachereducationstudents



usedmultimodalcommunicationtodisplayandreflecttheirsocialandculturalidentitiesandexpressedidentitythoughdemonstrationsofpowerandstatuswithintheirsocialrelationships.Understandingthewaysstudents(makers)usedcontentandwereinfluencedbyviewers,includ-ingtheperceivedsocialacceptabilityofthestudentworkcontributedinsightsintothemaker’sidentity.Together,theseelementsrepresenteachteacher’suniquesocialidentityintheAmericanSamoaneduca-tionalandclanhierarchy.InthefollowingsectionsIemphasizeeachforillustrationandnotasasuggestionthatwecanisolatecontributionsanddeconstructtheirmultimodalconversations.

Maker.Finalprojectsreflectedthestatusandpowerofthemaker.Forexample, three female studentsdecided to retell classicSamoanmythsandlegendsaspartoftheirelementarylanguageartscurricu-lum.The images included intheirprojects includedfamilymembersreenactingmythsintherainforestandattheseathatreinforcedtheirrolesasmothersresponsibleforsharingculturalstories. Manaia, a math teacher and chief descendent (matai) created adigitalstorythatexploredtherelationshipbetweengeometricalshapesandtraditionalSamoantattoos(Pe’a)(seeFigure2).Inhisproject,Ma-naianarrateshowtattooingisregardedasthe“ultimatechallenge”andthosewhoundergothepainfulprocessare“regardedwiththegreatestrespect.”Indeed,tattooingisamatterofculturalprideshowedoffinvillagegatheringsandceremonies,especiallyinthefale.ConversationinclassrevealednoteveryonegetsPe’a;itisusuallyreservedforthematai,theholderofthefamilychieftitle.Manaiawastheonlymataiinclassandhadthefull“tatauthatcovers85%ofthebodybeginningfromtheupperbackdownbelowtheknees.”Assuch,hewastheonlypersonwiththestatusneededtomakethisvisualargument.

Figure 2Geometrical shapes and traditional Samoan tattooing

Marva Cappello 15


Viewer. Identity can also be understood when considering theroleoftheviewerinstudents’multimodalconversations.Asacourserequirement,teachereducationstudentscomposedtheirdigitalstoriesformeandalsofortheirclassmatesinthecohort.InManaia’sexampleabove,hewasawareofhisroleamonghispeersandrecognizedviewers’expectationsofhimasamatai.Anotherstudent,MasinacreatedherdigitalstoryaroundtheenvironmentalconcernsplaguingcontemporarysocietyonAmericanSamoa(seeFigure3).“KeepSamoaClean”depictedmanysitesofpollutionaroundtheisland.Thecompiledimagesinherdigitalstoryshowherembarrassmentabouttheoverwhelmingamountoflitter,perhapsintendedtoembarrassothers.Masina’smultimodalprojectspeaksdirectlyandnamesmanyreasonswhyviewersmustmakeachange.Herroleasanenvironmentaladvocateisevidentinthewaythismultimodalconversationcommunicateswithherviewers.

Content.Severalstudentschosetofocusontopicsthatreproducedcontentandmaintainedculturalnormssuchasthethreefemalestu-dents’projectsthatillustratedtraditionalSamoanmyths,andotherswhocreatedvisualrepresentationsthathighlightedtheir“beautifullydecoratedclassrooms.”However,otherschosetopicsthatconfrontedlongstandingsocialandculturalroles.Forexample,Tao,ahistoryteacher,

Figure 3Screen shot from Masina’s “Keep Samoa Clean” digital story

Reflections of Identify in Multimodal Projects1�


facedseveralunexpectedchallengesasheworkedtowardthestandard,“Studentsdrawconclusionsaboutthechangesintherelationshipbetweenpeople,places,andenvironments.”Inhisdigitalstory,Tao“wantedtocreateaprojectthatwouldshowcasethechangestoourPagoharborfromtheearly1900stotoday(seeFigure4).Suchaprojectrequiredphotostakeninthepast.”Throughtheresearchforthisassignment,helearnedthatthereisnoarchive,libraryofimages,orgovernmentagencythatcatalogshistoricalimagesonAmericanSamoa.HisinvestigationledhimtoawebsitecreatedbyasonofaformerWhiteUSNavaldoc-torwhowasstationedonPagoPagoHarborjustpriortoandafterthestartofWorldWarII.Taowrotetotheowner,askedforandwasgrantedpermission tousehis images forhisuniversityproject.However,hewasfrustratedthatasonofaWhiteNavalofficerstationedbrieflyonAmericanSamoawouldhavetheimagesheneeded,imagesthatshouldbevaluedandstoredashistoricaldocumentsbyhisgovernment.Asaculturalhistorian,Taofoundthisanimportantlearningoutcome:

Now,ifIcan’tlocatevisualaidsIcanmakethem.Thisisveryvalu-abletomebecausetherearenotalotofvisualmaterialsonAmericanSamoahistory. Icanusetheskills I learnedthroughthiscoursetocreatemyownmaterial.

Social Acceptability. The teacher education students createddigitalstoriesthatfocusedonastandardorbenchmark.Manystudentshighlightedtheirsuccessesatschoolby includingtheirstudents’ac-complishments suchas choir competitions ordeaf students learningto use sign language to communicate.Teachers furthered the socialacceptabilityof theirmultimodalprojectsbycapitalizingonSamoanfolklore,history,andtraditionwhendesigningstandardsbasedlessonproducts.Thedigitalstoriesprovidedstudentsawaytoalignculturalknowledgewithuniversityexpectations. Since98%ofSamoansidentifyasaChristiandenomination(200�Census)religiousbeliefsalsoguidewhatissociallyacceptableamong

Figure 4The changes in Pago Pago Harbor from 1940 to present day

Marva Cappello 1�


thecohort.Manystudentsincludedreligiousreferencesinsongsandbiblequotesandpsalmsappearedatthebeginningofmanydigitalsto-ries.Religion(tacitorexplicit)playsaroleinpublicschools,includingouruniversityclassroom,framingcontentunderstanding.Samaria,amiddleschoolscienceteacher,intentionallydefiedacceptedreligiousbeliefsinherdigitalstorythatfocusedonthestandard,“Explorehowbiologicalevolu-tionexplainsunityanddiversityofspecies.”Samaria’sdigitalstorytellingproject“focusedonthecommoncharacteristicssharedbyallprimateswhichincludehumans,gorillasandmonkeys.”Sheknewtheconceptofevolutionwouldcontradictthebiblicalbeliefsheldastruthsbymostofthecohortandaskedmeforhersupportincreatingherproject.Samaria’sdigitalstoryaddressacademicknowledge;therewasnoindicationsheintendedtobedisrespectfultoherpeers.Nonetheless,thecohortsatinsilenceduringherpresentationandofferednomorethanpoliteapplausewhenitended,despitemyeffortstofacilitateconversation. Teuilaalsoconfrontednormsofsocialacceptability inhervisualstoryaddressingastandardthatrequiresstudents“identifyleadersindifferentgroupsandsituations.”HernarrativebeganwithimagesofdifferentwellknowleadersincludingthenPresidentObamaandthengovernorofAmericanSamoa,TogiolaTulafano.Inaddition,Teuila’sstoryfocusedonleadershipintheextendedfamily(aiga),centraltoSamoanculture. The visuals and accompanying leadership quotes appearedtotargetherelementaryschoolstudentaudience.However,about3.5minutesintoherfive-minutedigitalstory,thetonechanged.Shepostedaslidestating,“Theleaderschosentodaywillimpactourtomorrow.”Atthetimethiscoursewasoffered,anelectionwasapproaching.Teuliausedthisopportunitytovoicehersupportforaparticularcandidate,onenotpopularlyadvocatedforbymanyteachersashisopponent(andfutureGovernorLoloMatalasiMoliga)wasaformereducatorandrecentgraduateofaconcurrentmaster’sprogramofferedbySanDiegoStateUniversityinpublicadministration(seeFigure5).

Discussion

Thiscriticalclassstudydemonstratedhowvisualopportunitiesintheclassroomprovidedwaysforstudentstoexpressthemselveswithinandbeyondthecurriculumoftheuniversityandcurriculumdesignedforthecontextinwhichtheyteach.Teachereducationstudentscapablyusedvisualsalongwithdigitaltechnologiestocommunicatestandardsandbenchmarks. Thedigitalstoriesandthecorrespondinganalysisofthemultimodalconversationsamongthemaker,viewer,andcontentrevealedseveral



waysstudentsassertedandbuiltupontheirsocialandculturalidentitieswhileusingimagestotargetcurricularunderstandings.Teachereduca-tionstudentsreproducedorconfrontedestablishednormsofacceptabilitywhentheymadedecisionsaspartoftheprocessofcreatingtheirvisualnarratives.Althoughnotaprojectrequirement,moststudents’digitalstorieshighlightAmericanSamoancultureandtheirpersonalrole(s)withintheeducationandsocialhierarchywhilemeetingagradelevelandsubjectspecificstandardorbenchmark.Themultimodalexperiencesandthetransmediationprocessencourageddeeperthinkingaboutconnec-tionstocultureandcommunityinwaysthatmayhavebeenpreviouslyabsentinschoolexperiences.However,Imayhavebeenunawareoftheidentitymeanings in theirprojectshad Inot closelyexamined theirmultimodalconversations.Thesuggestedmultimodal(visual)analysisprocessmaybeahelpfultoolforotherswhowanttobetterunderstandthemessagesstudentsatalllevelscommunicatethroughtheirdigitalprojectsandvisualcommunications.Consideringtheimpactofvisualsinourstudents’worldsandthepotentialforteachingandlearning,us-ingvisualsandmultimodalprojectsinteachereducationclassroomsisclearlyimportantandbeneficial.

ReferencesAjayi,L. (2011).Preserviceteachers’knowledge,attitudes,andperceptionof

theirpreparationtoteachmultiliteracies/multimodality.Teacher Educa-

Figure 5Teuila’s digital story on leadership shared her political perspective

Marva Cappello 19


tor, 46(1),�-31.Albers,P.(200�).Visualdiscourseanalysis:Anintroductiontotheanalysisof

school-generatedvisualtexts.National Reading Conference Yearbook 56,81-95.

Albers,P.(2014).Visualdiscourseanalysis.InP.Albers,T.Holbrook,&A.S.Flint(Eds.),New methods of literacy research(pp.85-9�).NewYork,NY:Routledge.

Binder,M.,&Kotsopoulos,S.(2011).Multimodalliteracynarratives:Weavingthethreadsofyoungchildren’sidentitythroughthearts.Journal of Research in Childhood Education. 25,339-3�3.

Brenner,J.,Andrew,D.,&Collins,T.(2004).IdentityandvisualliteracyinSouthAfrica.Visual Communication, 3(2),1��-188.

Cappello,M.(2011).Photographyforteacherpreparationinliteracy:Innovationsininstruction.Issues in Teacher Education, 20(1),95-108.

Cappello,M.&Hollingsworth,S.(2008).Literacyinquiryandpedagogythroughaphotographiclens.Language Arts, 85(�),442-449.

Cappello,M.&Lafferty,K.E.(2015).Therolesofphotographyfordevelopingliteracyacrossthedisciplines.The Reading Teacher, 69(3),28�-295.

Cappello,M.&Walker,N.(201�).VisualthinkingStrategies:Teachers’reflectionsoncloselyreadingcomplexvisualtextswithinthedisciplines.The Reading Teacher, 70(3),31�-325.doi:10.1002/trtr.1523

Cervetti,G.,Damico,J.,&Pearson,P.D.(200�)Multipleliteracies,newliteracies,andteachereducation,Theory Into Practice, 45(4),3�8-38�.

Digital Storytelling(n.d.).UniversityofHouston.Retrievedfromhttp://digital-storytelling.coe.uh.edu/

Dondis,D.A.(19�3).A primer of visual literacy.Cambridge,MA:MITPress.Eisner,E.W.(2002).Whatcaneducationlearnfromtheartsaboutthepractice

ofeducation?Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 18(1),4-1�.Franquiz,M.,&Brochin-Ceballos,C. (200�).Culturalcitizenshipandvisual

literacy:U.S.-MexicanchildrenconstructingculturalidentitiesalongtheU.S.-Mexicoborder.Multicultural Perspectives, 8(1),5-12

Giampapa, F. (2010). Multiliteracies, pedagogy and identities: Teacher andstudent voices from aToronto elementary school. Canadian Journal of Education, 33(2),40�.

Jewitt,C.,&Kress,G.(Eds.).(2003).Multimodal literacy.NewYork,NY:PeterLang.

Kendrick,M.,&Jones,S.(2008).Girls’visualrepresentationsofliteracyinaruralUgandancommunity.Canadian Journal of Education, 31(2),3�1-404.

Kress,G.,&Leeuwen,T.(199�).Reading images: The grammar of visual design.London,UK:Routledge.

Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2001). Multimodal discourse. London, UK:Bloomsbury.

Lankshear, C., & Knobel, M. (200�). New literacies: Everyday practices and classroom learning(2nded.).Berkshire,UK:OpenUniversityPress.

Lenters,K.(201�).Telling“astoryofsomebody:throughdigitalscrapbooking:A fourthgrademultiliteraciesproject takesandaffective turn.Literacy Research and Instruction.DOI:10.1080/193880�1.201�.11�2234



Marzano,R.J.,Pickering,D.,&Pollock,J.E.(2001).Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement.Alex-andria,VA: AssociationforSupervisionandCurriculumDevelopment.

O’Neill,K.E.(2015).Designingclothesandcars:Secondgradestudentsusingmultipleformsofliteracytotryonandperformidentity.Early Childhood Education Journal, 43,505-514.

Serafini,F.(2014).Reading the visual: An introduction to teaching multimodal literacy.NewYork,NY:TeachersCollegePress.

Sheridan-Thomas,H.K.(200�).Makingsenseofmultipleliteracies:Exploringpre-servicecontentareateachers’understandingsandapplications.Read-ing Research and Instruction, 46(2),121-150.

Sontag,S.(19��).On photography.NewYork,NY:Farrar,Straus,&Giroux.Vinogradova,P.,Linville,H.A.,&Bickel,B.(2011).“Listentomystoryandyou

willknowme”:Digitalstoriesasstudent-centeredcollaborativeprojects.TESOL Journal, 2(2),1�3-202.

Wang,S.(2009).Contextualizingmeaningsaspersonalinquiry:Abook-makingproject.International Journal of Education Through Art, 5(1),�5-92.

Zenkov,K.,Harmon,J.,&vanLier,P.(2008).Picturethis:Seeingdiverseyouths’ideasaboutschools’purposes,supports,andimpediments:Studentsfromthe“througheyes”project.Multicultural Perspectives, 10(3),1�2-1��.

Reflections of Identity in Multimodal Projects · 2019-05-16 · Brenner, Andres, and Collins...

Documents

Transcript of Reflections of Identity in Multimodal Projects · 2019-05-16 · Brenner, Andres, and Collins...