Language Value
November 2018, Volume 10, Number 1 pp. i-iii
ISSN 1989-7103
From the Editor
MULTIMODAL MEANS OF INSTRUCTION: BROADENING ACADEMIC
LITERACIES AND PRACTICES
Departing from the concept of multimodality as “a field of application rather than a
theory”
(Bezemer and Jewitt
2010:
180), the current volume aims at presenting
multimodal practices in different learning environments. Multimodal means of
instruction can overtly change communication landscapes in terms of spaces and texts.
In this volume, new academic identities are revised departing from multimodal texts
(visual texts, written texts that use images, written texts that discuss visuals, etc.) which
combine with the primary aim of generating meaning.
This issue intends to delve into the definition of Multimodality in order to promote
multimodal learning environments by revisiting theories and practices of multimodal
education. The volume includes valuable contributions to Multimodality in education
trying to ease the differences between conventional teaching practices and the fast
constant changes of the modern society (Kress and Van Leeuwen 2001). The volume
works as an updated reference for multimodality in different spaces, varied modes and
diverse texts within disciplinary variations for pedagogical practices.
The volume is divided into two main sections, a wider section with four full papers and
a following section with a book review. In the opening article of this volume Stefania
Consonni analyses PowerPoint
(PPT) as a leading genre in academic discourse,
focussing on the implementation of student motivation boosting strategies. She explores
how PPT can be used to motivate teachers and students from two perspectives,
ideational and interactional, using multimodal and critical discourse analysis
approaches.
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From the Editor
In the next contribution, Larissa D’Angelo discusses the effectiveness of the
pre-formatted construction of discourse through PowerPoint presentations by observing
the abuse of bullet point presentations, the limited format and size of slides that support
minimum content and the ever-present risk of overwhelming viewers with too much text
or data. She concludes that multimodal PowerPoint artefacts simply enrich and
accompany what the presenter has to say, and recommends presenters to regain
confidence in their oratorial skill instead of allowing the slides dominate their
presentations.
In the next article, Ruth Breeze brings us closer to multimodality in Fine Arts. She
focuses on the genre of single image account (SIA) (Swales 2016) for didactic purposes
by examining pedagogical resources on the National Gallery’s website. She argues that
SIAs are combined with suggestions to enhance primary school pupils’ learning through
creative activities across a variety of modes. She eventually proposes guidelines for
writing SIAs for educational purposes in other contexts.
In the final contribution to this issue, Tamara Hernández analyses feedback on written
production and how the use of new technologies in the classroom such as Grammar
Checker can aid both, the teacher in the correction process and the students in their
language development. After comparing feedback provided by the teacher and feedback
provided by the software Grammar Checker to a group of English as foreign language
students, she concludes that Grammar Checker can be a potential tool for self-correction
and that feedback may facilitate students’ language development.
In the book review that follows, Lucía Bellés-Calvera revises the publication
Multimodality in Higher Education, by Archer and Breuer (2016). The volume deals
with multimodal writing practices and pedagogies in tertiary education. The work
approaches forms of academic writing that have been catalogued as academic genres,
therefore known by an academic discourse community that has previous knowledge on
the genre and its conventions. The volume is undoubtedly a valuable contribution to the
dissemination of multimodal knowledge in Higher Education.
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Articles are copyrighted by their respective authors
Language Value
November 2018, Volume 10, Number 1 pp. i-iii
ISSN 1989-7103
I would like to close this Editorial by especially thanking my colleague and co-editor of
this volume Carmen Sancho Guinda. Likewise, I am grateful to all the scholars that
have collaborated in the peer-review process of the articles that make up this volume.
Begoña Bellés-Fortuño
Editor
Universitat Jaume I, Spain
References
Bezemer, J. and Jewitt, C. 2010. “Multimodal Analysis: Key Issues”. In Litosseliti, L.
(Ed.), Research Methods in Linguistics. London: Continuum, 180-197.
Kress. G. and Van Leeuwen, T. 2001. Multimodal Discourse: The Modes and Media
of Contemporary Communication. London: Arnold.
Swales, J. 2016. “Configuring image and context: writing ‘about’ pictures”. English for
Specific Purposes, 41, 22-35.
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