MULTILITERACIES

Aishah, Aimuni, Janar, Luqman

 CRITICAL
MULTILITERACIES
 The concept of critical
multiliteracies responds to the
changing cultural, political &
social landscape and attends to
the rise in multimodal texts

What is critical made possible by increasing

access to digital technologies.

multiliteracies ? Critical multiliteracies

emphasize a literacy pedagogy
that supports students to
develop an array of practices to
break the codes, make meaning,
and use, construct & critically
analyse a wide range of texts
across a variety of contexts.
A critical literacy curriculum needs
to be lived.
It arises from the social & political
conditions that unfold in
communities in which we live.
As such it cannot be traditionally
taught.
In other words, as teachers, we need
to incorporate a critical perspective
into our everyday lives in order to
find ways to help children
understand the social & political
issues around them.
 01 Reading multiple texts

strategies 02 Reading from a resistant

for
perspective

developing
Examining multiple
03 perspectives

critical 04 Producing countertexts

literacy
05 Focussing on sociopolitical issues

Repositioning students as
06 researchers of language
 MULTIPLE
TEXTS-
RESISTANCE
PERSPECTIVE
 ..
Multiple texts improve students’
application of reading–thinking
strategies, build confidence, and develop
the motivation to learn. Through the use
of multiple texts, all students have the
opportunity to learn new information and
make meaningful contributions to
discussions. Moreover, varied texts
provide multiple perspectives that help
students rethink events and issues that
impact everyone and deepen their
knowledge of literary genres.
 RESISTANT READING
During resistant reading, students analyze
the dominant reading of a text and “resist” it
by engaging in alternative readings.
Resistant readings scrutinize the beliefs and
attitudes that typically go unexamined in a
text, drawing attention to the gaps, silences
and contradictions.
EXAMPLE
Acquiring a resistant perspective is sometimes stimulated
by asking students to assume new or unfamiliar identities.
For example, in a unit on Wisconsin state history, the
teacher organized students into small groups that took on a
family identity (e.g., Native American, German American,
English American) and then expressed their family’s views
as Wisconsin evolved from part of the Northwest Territory
to a separate territory and then to statehood. Similarly, EG.
another teacher introduced Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little
House on the Prairie by asking students to consider their
reactions to the white and Native American characters.
Finding their responses Eurocentric, she encouraged
students to reconsider their responses from a Native
American point of view. A resistant perspective can also be
motivated by inviting students to read from an alternative
frame of reference.
MULTIPLE
PERSPECTIVES
Exploring multiple perspectives (which is known as
"multiperspectivity" in parts of Europe) requires
incorporating source materials that reflect
different views of a historical event. In recent
decades scholars and educators have begun to
question the validity of singular (one-sided)
historical narratives. Instead of just focusing on
dominant groups and communities, they recommend
employing multiple perspectives. One reason for
this stems from increasing diversity and cultural
pluralism, since many groups—women, the poor,
ethnic minorities, etc.—have been ignored in
traditional historical narratives.

Here's an instance of using multiple perspectives:

When studying the voyages of discovery, students
would not only learn about explorers like Columbus,
but about the peoples who had been "discovered."
Historian Jon Wiener, writing in American History 101
in Slate magazine
IMPORTANCE OF MULTIPLE
PERSPECTIVES
Well-rounded discussions
Perhaps the most immediate benefit for
differing perspectives in the classroom
is that your discussions will be well-
rounded. This lends room to spirited
debates and other valuable
conversations that teach young minds
how to express their opinions, debate
respectfully, and expand their range of
understanding.
It also gives students the chance to add
context that might not be readily
available among a crowd with similar
backgrounds and cultures. For example,
having the opportunity to study
literature from a different country or
culture can be amplified by hearing from
someone who was raised within it. This
can help you identify with the story’s
author and find a layer of the narrative
that an outsider might not be readily
able to.
IMPORTANCE OF MULTIPLE
PERSPECTIVES
Challenging opinions
Throughout our lives, our opinions
and ideas will fluctuate. It’s a
great thing because it’s how we
grow and mature. Being in school
is the perfect time to challenge
some of those preconceived
ideas we might have about the
world. It’s an opportunity to gain
knowledge and understanding,
especially if your fellow peers
have come from a different
background than your own. Along
with challenging pre-existing
opinions, having this diverse mix
of peers can help you bust any
stereotypes or myths you might
have about certain cultures or
people groups.
 WAYS TO DEVELOP
MULTIPERSPECTIVES

 To start building multiple perspectives, read on subjects that you

haven’t before. Begin with a subject you might have been curious
about at some point, but which got left behind in the pursuit of
degrees and jobs. Don’t consciously look for connections. Build a
world view on this new subject. Following your interest is a definite
way to create a unique way of thinking.

Second, read from a diverse set of sources. Make a list of the

publications you are used to. Add a different set of publications and
websites to the list. Broaden your reading. Till doing so becomes a
habit, do this with discipline. Set targets for yourself: a new website
every week, or month. A genre of books you have never attempted
before, once a quarter.
 Third, be conscious of how you learn, the pace you
learn at, and whom you learn best from. Understand
that as your career grows and matures, chances are
that you will build successes in domains and subjects
you might never have studied.

By integrating a few perspective-taking lessons into

the curriculum, we can help grow our students’
empathy, self-awareness, problem-solving skills, and
their relationships with others.
 Thank you
for listening!
Do you have any questions for me?