FEATURE ARTICLE

Using Transmediation in Elementary

Preservice Teacher Education
A L I T E R A C Y A N D S C I E N C E C O L L A B O R AT I V E

Paula A. Magee & Jane H. Leeth

In this article, the authors explore transmediation supported by the

use of literature circles. Readers will understand how repeated
exposure to transmediation, coupled with the idea of moving across
sign systems, served a generative and reflective purpose for
preservice teachers’ understanding of critical issues. Readers will see
how the use of multimodal literacies affords greater opportunities for
rich discussion and expression.

A
connections with texts through transmediation, they
s opposed to writing a traditional paper, it will in turn feel compelled to offer their future stu-
has been argued that transmediation, “the dents these same opportunities and see engaging in
act of translating meaning from one sign movement between sign systems as “an important
system to another” (Siegel, 1995) (e.g., linguistic into role in expanding, understanding and more fully ap-
visual), affords students the opportunity to generate preciating ideas” (Harste, 2000, p. 13).
new understandings. As students think about how to The purpose of this qualitative study was to better
move from one sign system to another (e.g., from understand how our students, adult teacher educa-
reading text to drawing), meaning-making opportuni- tion candidates (“interns”), use transmediation to rep-
ties emerge in new resent their understandings, questions, and
ways (Harste, 2000; experiences after reading multiple texts. We were par-
Suhor, 1984). As ticularly interested in understanding how we, as
teacher educators, it is teacher educators, could support our interns to push
this complex but in- their own understandings and extend themselves be-
tensely productive ex- Authors (left to right) yond traditional reader responses to books (book re-
perience we work to Paula A. Magee is a Clinical ports, summaries, direct comparisons, etc.). Our
Associate Professor at Indiana
immerse our students University-IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN, research began with the following question, “How
USA; e-mail pamagee@iupui.edu.
in. We hope that as pre- can we as teacher educators better support our interns
Jane H. Leeth is an Adjunct
service teachers are Lecturer at Indiana University- to engage with and represent understandings of books
awakened to their own IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN, USA; e-mail used in our classes?” and grew to include the second
jpapke@iupui.edu.
ability to make deep question, “What can we learn about interns’ 327

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 58(4) Dec 2014 / Jan 2015 doi:10.1002/jaal.364 © 2014 International Reading Association (pp. 327–336)
 FEATURE ARTICLE
comprehension of critical texts through an inten-
tional immersion in ‘non-traditional’ literature circle
roles and transmediation?” In this paper we will de-
scribe our collaboration as teacher educators, the re-
sulting experiences in which we immersed our
interns, and what we learned from analyzing the stu-
dent products generated from these experiences.
Conceptual Framework—
Transmediation and Preservice
Teacher Education
In line with our Principles of Teacher Education
(PTEs) (School of Education, 2012), our Teacher
Education Program (TEP) strives to push our interns
to develop a critical-thinking and inquiry-oriented
stance towards their own learning and the learning of
children. The mismatch between rote memorization
that interns have learned through various school expe-
riences (Hiebert et al., 2003; Spillane & Zeuli, 1999)
and the ways that we want them to teach (inquiry-
based and using multimodalities) encouraged us to
incorporate transmediation into our courses. Our ra-
tionale is grounded in the idea that the generative
process of transmediation can help interns move be-
yond a literal translation and prescriptive form of un-
derstanding, to a more deeply connected and complex
understanding of content topics (Siegel, 1995; Suhor,
1984). For this project we asked the interns to respond
5 8 (4 ) DEC 2014 / JAN 2015
to readings using literature circle roles six times, three
times for each course (as a precursor to the final proj-
ect of transmediation), and to engage in transmedia-
tion two times during the semester, once for each
course. This arrangement allowed interns to experi-
ence the use of multiple modalities several times in
two different classes during the same semester.
The idea of a science and literacy collaborative is
J OURN AL OF A DOL E SCE NT & ADU LT L ITE RAC Y
not new (Akerson & Flanagan, 2000; Cervetti &
Pearson, 2012; Saul, 2004), and much work has fo-
cused on reading strategies to learn science. We ex-
tended this idea by specifically attending to critical
issues by choosing texts that address controversial top-
ics such as depression (Ilardi, 2009), civil rights
“Transmediation can help
interns move beyond a literal
translation and prescriptive form
328 of understanding.”
(Crowe, 2003), ethics of scientific research (Skloot,
2011), and war/hate crimes (Kor, 2009), and by focus-
ing on the use of multimodalities for representation
of understanding texts of different genres. The paral-
lel experiences across content area methods courses
were used intentionally to challenge the idea of trans-
mediation being only for language arts courses and
works of fiction. Asking interns to think about science
and literacy together, to think about critical issues in
both courses, and to consider transmediating in both
courses seemed a likely strategy for pushing interns
into new and creative learning spaces.
Transmediation had been used in middle
through high school to “create meaningful knowl-
edge as well as disseminate information using a vari-
ety of modalities” (Hill, 2012, p. 452). In his article,
Hill discusses how in his eighth grade classroom the
use of multimodalities “is proven to enhance learning
in many fields by affording students the ability to
make meaning and communicate beyond the sole
use of text and oral language” (Hill, 2012, p. 452).
When using multimodalities, students are asked
to represent their understanding of a read text in a
non-written form In her article, McCormick (2011)
describes how children moved from one modality to
another (e.g., linguistic to choreographic) and, be-
cause there was no prescriptive way for the students to
do this, this act itself encouraged inquiry, critical
thinking, and the generation of new knowledge.
Transmediation, by its very nature, is ambiguous and
creates spaces for students to stretch their thinking
and forge new connection pathways. In McCormick’s
class as students developed dance, poetry, and art in
response to literature, they were able to “wallow in
and eventually feel comfortable with ambiguity”
(McCormick, 2011, p. 586).
Suhor (1992) also suggests that “a constellation of
cognitive, aesthetic and psychomotor skills is brought
to the surface when we consider students’ abilities to
understand and perform in numerous sign systems”
(p. 229). This process of transfer affords students op-
portunities to mediate meaning into alternative sign
systems, supporting various modalities. It is important
to note that semiotic modes are not the same as mul-
tiple intelligences but rather the “sign systems be-
come research tools in an inquiry curriculum”
(Leland & Harste, 1994, p. 339), and all students
have the potential to learn and use semiotic modes.
Additionally, the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards
(NGSS) both advocate for collaboration and
integration of English Language Arts and Science,
and can be used to help interns understand the strong
connection between literacy and science. The ex-
plicit inclusion of science in the CCSS and ELA in
the NGSS speaks to the continued awareness of the
need for strong literacy and science connections.
Study Overview
Our collaboration began over discussions about our
students and questions we had in regards to support-
ing their critical growth as teachers. Our students go
through our four-semester program in cohorts, and as
instructors we share students during the second se-
mester when they take our classes together. A main
focus for both courses is inquiry. Not just inquiry
teaching but also inquiry learning and the stance that
one must take to put student inquiry at the center of
teaching.
After reading The Depression Cure—The 6 Step
Program to Beat Depression Without Drugs (Ilardi,
2009), Paula wanted to bring this controversial,
inquiry-based book about understanding the depres-
sion epidemic into her science methods class. The
book chronicles the experiences of a clinical psychol-
ogist (Ilardi) who cannot help but notice and ques-
tion the increasing number of depressed patients that
he is seeing. While the bulk of the text describes
Ilardi’s “6 steps to cure depression” (p. 7), it also beau-
tifully describes his inquiry process from noticings to
questioning to researching (both by reading and ex-
perimenting within his own clinical practice).
Through this he helps us think about how mental ill-
ness is not what many think it is (mental or moral
weakness) and how popular approaches for treatment
(medication and some alternative treatments) need to
be better understood. Despite Paula’s passion for the
book, she felt unprepared to support her students to
study it. She turned to Jane for support and advice.
Jane suggested literature circles and transmediation,
and the collaboration began. During the next few
months, we met and discussed what these approaches
meant and how we could work together to increase
the likelihood that our students would benefit from
their use. We planned to both use literature circles
and transmediation in our classes, but with different
books—Jane with young adult historical fiction and
Paula with adult non-fiction texts.
As instructors, we worked to challenge our in-
terns to respond in new ways to their own reading.
Supporting the inquiry cycle naturally supported the
role of sign system use in the curriculum for both
courses. As Harste (2000) describes in Six Points of
Points Departure, “taking what we know from one
sign system and recasting it in terms of another is
both natural and basic to inquiry” (p. 6). This notion
of recasting what we know in one sign system (e.g.,
reading a book) to another we felt could also support
new insights in reading around science (Leland,
Ociepka, & Kuonen, 2012). This collaborative shar-
ing of knowledge about teaching and learning as
well as the ensuing work to support the interns in
their core classes encouraged us to align our
practices.
As stated earlier, two research questions emerged
as we worked together during three years:
1. How can we as teacher educators better sup-
port our interns to engage with and represent
understandings of books used in our classes?
2. What can we learn about interns’ comprehen-
sion of critical texts through an intentional im-
mersion in “non-traditional” literature circle
Using Transmediation in Elementary Preservice Teacher Education: A Literacy and Science Collaborative
roles and transmediation?
We analyzed data during three distinct, chrono-
logical time frames which we refer to here as phases
1, 2, and 3. We did not intentionally develop these
distinct phases, but rather, they grew organically out
of our own inquiry about using these assignments in
our classes. During each phase, we used a constant
comparative method of analysis (Glaser & Strauss,
1967) in which each artifact was individually ana-
lyzed focusing on both reading comprehension and
the use of transmediation as a way to support com-
prehension of the texts. Artifacts included interns’
responses to literature circle roles, transmediation
projects, and notes taken during intern artifact pre-
sentations and discussions. After we individually an-
alyzed the artifacts from each phase, we came
together to discuss noticings, themes, and concerns.
Table 1 (described more fully in the following
Findings section) represents the different phases and
the themes and concerns we generated for each
phase of the project. We were specifically looking
for use of sign systems, the complexity of representa-
tion, generative thinking, and content understand-
ing represented through different semiotic modes.
During phase 1, when we did not see the complexity
in student work that we expected, we asked ourselves
how we could better support our interns. These find-
ings in phase 1 helped us to refine the support and 329
 FEATURE ARTICLE

TABLE 1 Noticings and Themes Identified During Each Phase of the Project
Phase Data sources Noticings/Concerns/Themes identified

1 Transmediation artifacts • Artifacts focus on literal interpretations of text

Rubric • Use of metaphor is predictable
• Summary strategy often used
• Little intentionality with use of materials

2 Transmediation artifacts • Illustrator role supports transmediation

Literature Circle role responses • Presentations offer space for sharing learning through different
Notes from transmediation presentations modes
Rubric • Summary knowledge often replaced with specific content
knowledge

3 Transmediation artifacts • Complexity added to many projects – more layers

Literature Circle role responses • Revised literature circle roles offer opportunities for “mini
Notes from transmediation presentations transmediations”
Notes from class discussions • Multiple opportunities for transmediating and discussing seems
Rubric and notes helpful

assessment that we used for the project, and this re-
sulted in modified data sets for phase 2. This itera-
tive practice was continually used throughout the
project to revise and refine how we supported our
interns.
During phase 1, we analyzed our notes from
transmediation presentations, interns’ transmedia-
tion projects, and the assignment rubric. During
phase 2, we analyzed our notes from transmediation
presentations, assignment rubric, and interns’ work
5 8 (4 ) DEC 2014 / JAN 2015
found (see Table 1, Phase 1) was that while students
were excited to “not have to write a paper,” (from pre-
sentation notes) and while some were making deep
emotional connections to the text (e.g., sharing a
heart-wrenching story about a sibling’s suicide after
battling depression), the projects were, overall, very
literal in their representation of content from the
books. Many projects contained direct representa-
tions from the text (e.g., using dolls with striped paja-
mas to represent holocaust victims from The Boy in

from literature circle roles and from transmediation.
Finally during the final phase of the project, phase 3,
we analyzed notes from transmediation presenta-
tions, assignment rubric, and interns’ work from re-
vised literature circle roles and from transmediation.
Each phase lasted roughly a year and included two to
three cohorts of interns for a total of approximately
50 students from which work was collected each
J OURN AL OF A DOL E SCE NT & ADU LT L ITE RAC Y
the Striped Pajamas). We hoped to see risk-taking and
artifacts that drew us into questioning how and why
they were developed. Instead we noticed most proj-
ects summarized the main points of the text and/or
were quite predictable with respect to use of meta-
phor, symbolism, and representation. We recognized
that the original rubric categories (personal expres-
sion, content, and delivery) did not do enough to sup-

year. port interns with transmediation. For example, in

Findings
Phase 1—Literal Interpretations
From the beginning of our collaboration, we shared
student work collected from the transmediation proj-
ect. We attended each other’s classes during the
transmediation presentations and individually ana-
lyzed products as previously described. After we indi-
vidually analyzed the artifacts, we compared our
notes and discussed the interns’ products and what we
thought they meant with regard to the intern’s under-
330 standing of the texts and of transmediation. What we
Figure 1 we see Bailey’s artifact—wooden steps with
a person at the top.
In Bailey’s project, steps are literally constructed
and named according to the six steps of the
Therapeutic Lifestyle Change outlined in The
Depression Cure. While Bailey did include the use of
metaphor, his artifact was a representative summary
of the “6 steps” in the book. When Bailey discussed
his artifact, he did not include why he chose to make
a three-dimensional representation or what thought
processes he went through during the creation of the
piece. There did not seem to be any wrestling with
ambiguity (McCormick, 2006).
 FIGURE 1 Balley ’s Steps
FIGURE 2 Klara’s Painting
Phase 2—Using Student Discourse to Reveal
Generative Thinking
We realized after analyzing and discussing the first
year’s worth of projects that what students had to say
about their work was a missing critical piece. If in-
deed learning happens during the process of transme-
diation (Suhor, 1984), we knew that we were going to
have to be able to hear how our students thought
through the process of planning, revising, and creat-
ing their artifacts (see Table 1, Phase 2). We began
recording key ideas that students expressed during the
sharing. We individually recorded our notes and then
discussed each individual project. Also, realizing
student artifacts were not seemingly “edgy” or “pro-
vocative,” we did more to encourage communication
and the use of multiple sign systems. Particularly, de-
liberate attention was given to literature circle roles as
a segue into the final engagement of transmediation.
It became clear that having interns explicitly articu-
late their use of another sign system and the develop-
ment of their artifact gave them access to the
generative power of transmediation. For example,
Klara’s transmediation response to her non-fiction
reading in science, The Depression Cure (see
Figure 2), revealed thoughtful contemplation of me-
dia, color, and form.
Looking at her painting, we wondered about
many things including her choice to do a dot paint-
ing, representation of partial face, and strategically
placed teardrops. When Klara explained her piece,
she shared several instances in which she felt “in dis-
equilibrium” (from presentation notes) about how to
proceed. Klara wanted to share her understanding of
depression as a devastating disease that affects all peo-
ple. She explained that she had to decide whether to
Using Transmediation in Elementary Preservice Teacher Education: A Literacy and Science Collaborative
include the eyelashes or not because “I didn’t want to
perpetuate the myth that depression happens to
women more than men” (from presentation notes).
Ultimately Klara did include the eyelash because she
felt that “the painting was more powerful with it.”
Another example was Klara’s inclusion of the giant
tear. Klara explained that she wanted it on the face
but she also wanted it on the side where it could be
seen as an object in and of itself, a way to represent
the agonizing and “giant” pain of depression. Both of
these examples capture well Klara’s willingness to
“wallow in and eventually feel comfortable with am-
biguity” (McCormick, 2011, p. 586). Additionally
Klara’s work clearly steps out beyond summarizing to
a more significant and poignant understanding of the
text. It was interesting for us to notice that Klara
seemed to benefit from repeated opportunities to
work in other modes. By the time Klara had created
this piece, she had engaged in several transmediation
opportunities (including a previous transmediation in
Jane’s class and two illustrator roles in literature cir-
cles, one in each class). In Jane’s class, Klara’s first
transmediation was not as sophisticated and repre-
sented a more literal interpretation (see Figure 3).
In her artifact for the reading course, Klara used
objects directly named in the book Katarina (i.e., silk
flowers to represent the favorite flowers of the main
character), without additional interpretation or com-
plexity. Klara’s artifact did not reveal reflective 331
 FEATURE ARTICLE
5 8 (4 ) DEC 2014 / JAN 2015
J OURN AL OF A DOL E SCE NT & ADU LT L ITE RAC Y
332
FIGURE 3 Klara’s Flowers
thinking about the critical nature of the topic nor did
the explanation of the artifact clarify Klara’s under-
standings or connections. Her choices for color and
symbols were all directly identified in her book. In
Klara’s case, we were able to see how additional op-
portunities to participate in transmediation and with
different texts allowed her to take risks and reveal
complex thinking.
Phase 3—Creating Opportunities for Multimodal
Work Through Literature Circles
We learned from interns like Klara, and we contin-
ued to analyze work from the second year to better
understand how to support our interns in transmedia-
tion. We recognized the more opportunities interns
had to work in different modes, the more likely they
would find opportunities for generative thinking.
During phase 3, we introduced our interns to the
terms “literal,” “emergent,” “developing,” and “com-
plex” with respect to the new criteria that we had de-
veloped. But we knew that presenting the new
language would not be enough. We needed to find a
way for the interns to work in different modes before
transmediation. In so doing, we made the decision to
use literature circle roles to help the interns hone
their multimodal skills and gain experience in mov-
ing from one mode (reading) to another.
In the early semesters of our work, we relied on
traditional roles as literature circle responses such as
summarizer, word wizard, and vocabulary enricher
(Daniels, 2002). It seemed that these text-centric
roles were not opening space for the interns to trans-
late their reading connections and understandings in
new ways. Harste refers to sign system movement as
“the leap from the familiar to the unfamiliar” (2000,
p. 6). We decided to re-envision and re-purpose the
literature circle roles to initiate this type of leap with
the interns. We wanted the interns to have opportuni-
ties to utilize mode-to-mode expression (reading text
to describing with music for example), with more
flexible use of sign systems.
In each course, the process began with participa-
tion by interns in literature circles where they read the
same text as a group of their classmates. Each week,
for three weeks, as part of the literature circle protocol,
the interns chose a role to complete (illustrator, liter-
ary luminary with real world print, creating a
soundtrack, art cards, summarizer, etc.) as they read a
designated section of the text. During the literature
circle, the interns discussed their role and the product
created from the role. The new roles were layered in a
way that offered interns new to interpretative responses
a level of support through scaffolding traditional text
(written) responses with more interpretative sign sys-
tems. For example, during week one, the roles offered
were illustrator and investigator (Daniels, 2002),
PostSecret (Lesesne, 2010), cultural xray (Leland &
Harste, 1994; Short, 2009), literary luminary with real
world print, and Creating a Soundtrack
(ReadWriteThink.org). This assortment of responses
offered appeal to a variety of response domains such as
writing, inquiry or fact-finding, vocabulary explora-
tion, quote or verse enthusiasts, as well as music aficio-
nados. PostSecret, cultural xray, illustrator, and literary
luminary combined text with some form of illustration
or visual extension. The second layer of responses
added in Zentangles (Bartholomew, 2010; Leland &
Harste, 2013), art trading cards (Leland & Harste,
1994), and found poetry. Again, traditional text re-
sponses were offered, but a layer of alternative options
were added in. Week three focused on additional roles
that could be categorized as “cumulative,” meaning
that these roles seemed to be much more powerful at
the end of the book such as Six Word Memoirs
(Lesesne, 2010), non-traditional timelines, and
Graffiti Walls. In this last week, written responses were
still included combined with artistic options. The
same literature circle roles were used in both courses.
After three weeks, when the books were com-
pleted, the interns were introduced to the idea of
transmediation. This introduction was done by look-
ing at, and discussing slides, of student work from pre-
vious semesters. What the interns did not realize was
they had been transmediating every week in prepara-
tion for their literature circles. By “messing about”
(Hawkins, 1965) with moving from one mode to an-
other, the interns had, in essence, created their own
experiences from which to draw from. In this way, the
smaller, more manageable literature circle artifacts
supported the interns to take on the more challenging
 FIGURE 4 Effie’s Carousel
(often in both physical size and complexity) transme-
diation project. In their reading methods course, the
interns had already completed readings on the use of
transmediation as an instructional tool so the idea was
not completely new. In addition to whole class in-
struction on what transmediation is, we also included
intentional small group time where we could listen to
interns plan and consider what artifacts they might
create and what ideas they might use to generate a
project. Brainstorming on common themes, tensions,
observations, and wonderings from their readings
done in small groups pushed interns to think beyond
literal responses. Interns recorded noticings in their
notebooks about groups that held power in the read-
ings, why the particular group had power (financial,
size of group, physical stature, etc.), and how others
would/could gain power. The interns then developed
discussion starters around their recordings. During
small group discussions, initial ideas about transme-
diation were exchanged between interns. Feedback
and critique were shared to aid in the development
and sophistication of the transmediations. The in-
terns were then given two weeks to develop and cre-
ate a transmediation artifact. During a subsequent
class, the artifacts were shared first in small groups
and then whole class where the interns were given an
opportunity to discuss the rationale for the creation of
their artifact. As interns engaged in the post reflective
process, they reviewed their classmates artifacts as
well as their own. They discussed changes and modi-
fications they might make to prepare for their next
experience. It was during phase 3 that we collected
more projects that captured the complexity and
power of transmediation.
In Figure 4, we see Effie’s carousel as a represen-
tation of depression as an illness that goes “round and
round” in response to The Depression Cure. The con-
struction, using yarn that is hand-woven around the
perimeter of the artifact, is slightly unstructured to
represent the “different ways depression affects peo-
ple” (presentation notes). Like Klara, Effie’s descrip-
tion of the rationale for and creation of the project
revealed important complexities. Effie discussed how
her choice of color and materials was intentional.
She was deliberate about using black since it repre-
sented a more somber and serious tone and would
contrast with the light-hearted playground feature.
This was also an intentional juxtaposition. Effie also
shared how she had to choose to build something that
both captured the contrast, but would be something
she could create. Finally the yarn that Effie used to
construct the sides of the carousel was originally go-
ing to be more solid, but Effie was dissatisfied with
that and wanted her piece to show the “fragile nature
of depression.”
We found that in addition to doing transmedia-
Using Transmediation in Elementary Preservice Teacher Education: A Literacy and Science Collaborative
tion, interns benefited from whole class reflection
and discussion in between creating artifacts, as well as
discussions amongst students after each experience.
For example, after participating in the initial round of
transmediation, one of the students, reflecting on her
rubric, realized that the goal was not to summarize
but rather to visualize her learning about the text. She
writes, “I didn’t realize how much it was supposed to
be connected to what we learned. I focused more on
what I thought the main parts of the book were about
in Jane’s class. I will try to connect it more to my
learning this time around.” Artifact analysis, explana-
tions, commentaries, and debriefs also suggested that
interns were being influenced by the work of their
peers. Debriefing commentaries often included re-
marks such as, “I like the way Rachel represented her
ideas by using physical objects,” “It did not occur to
me to use clay to represent my ideas like Susan did.”
While traditional transmediations encourage
movement between language and art, music, and
other ways of knowing (Suhor, 1984; Leland &
Harste, 1994), it is important to note that we crafted
our assignment so that written representations were
not eliminated from potential responses. By the third
year of the project, we realized that poetry, mono-
logues, memoir, obituaries, storytelling through lyrics
and song, scripts, and captions were powerful text
modes that were encouraged and accepted. During
the last year of the project, several interns developed 333
 FEATURE ARTICLE
5 8 (4 ) DEC 2014 / JAN 2015
J OURN AL OF A DOL E SCE NT & ADU LT L ITE RAC Y
334
FIGURE 5 Framed Wordle with Text
FIGURE 6 “Angel of Death” Artifact
powerful written artifacts that were very unexpected
and non-traditional. While all were “written,” the ve-
hicle was much different than a traditional book re-
port or paper. In the first example, Melinda wrote
obituaries to reveal several characters’ perspective af-
ter death during the Holocaust (The Devil’s
Arithmetic). In a second example, a memoir was writ-
ten and read from the perspective of an animal in
confinement before slaughter (Omnivore’s Dilemma).
The third product reveals a monologue that was
scripted to reveal the aging of a young character into
adulthood (One Crazy Summer). These products pro-
vide strong examples of artifacts where language was
used as the vehicle of understanding.
Discussion
From this study we were able to see how interns could
benefit from a non-traditional science/literacy col-
laboration. At the beginning of this project, we saw
our connection as the transmediation product itself.
However, as we continued to work on the idea of
transmediation and analyze student products, we rec-
ognized the collaboration was an opportunity to learn
much more about literacy. This project opened up
space for a discussion around what to read and how to
support reading in different content areas. In their re-
cent article, Alvermann and Wilson (2011) discuss
how non-print sources can be used for reading in sci-
ence. While in our project we do read print texts, we
stretch the idea of how these can be used in a science
methods course. The inclusion of non-fiction adult
level reading science texts is not well studied, and we
have found that using them affords interns the oppor-
tunities to see science as more than a set of facts in-
side of a textbook. Interns would create artifacts that
not only revealed understandings of the texts, but also
a more complex understanding of science as part of
culture and life. For example, interns who read The
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks connected to and
included information about cells in scientific re-
search but also became aware of the questionable eth-
ics and blatant racism presented in the book. In
Figure 5, we see a framed Wordle artifact that con-
tains the words “colored,” “carcinoma,” and “died.”
The intern specifically used words that connected to
her understanding of the book, and it was clear that
that understanding connected to the people in the
book. While language was used in this artifact as the
major sign system, clearly an element of art influ-
enced the meaning that was constructed (Leland,
Ociepka, & Kuonen, 2012). During her discussion of
the artifact, the intern shared how she did not realize
that science could be connected to racist and oppres-
sive practices and she wanted to capture this in her
artifact.
In another interesting example (Figure 6), an in-
tern created an artifact for Jane’s class from reading
Angel of Death where the perspective of the interpre-
tation changed as you moved the artifact around.
One side represented factual/scientific representa-
tions from experiments conducted on twins by Joseph
Mengele in concentration camps while the opposite
perspective represented an emotional response to the
horrific nature of the discoveries. The artifact re-
vealed the intern’s developing understandings with
scientific discoveries and significant emotional con-
nections from the reading.
Our experiences support our rationale that the
generative process of transmediation helps interns
move beyond a literal translation and prescriptive
form of understanding to a more deeply connected
and complex understanding of content. As students
learned more about the process of transmediation,
and when given time to discuss critical issues from
their reading, students increasingly identified layers
of meaning in their responses to the texts. Personal
connections to text became more frequent, and ar-
ticulations of their work increased in detail and so-
phistication. The transmediation assignment
challenged students and us to think about meaning in
new ways and to see how transmediation, according
to Siegel, “achieves its generative power” (2006, p.
70). Collaboration between courses was paramount
to interns’ understanding of transmediation as a non-
trivial and complex endeavor. The non-traditional
and unexpected collaboration between reading and
science methods classes challenged the traditional
and historical ways that interns view science and lit-
eracy (Saul, 2004). As a result, the use of multimodal
responses—transmediation—become powerful and
necessary ways for students to express their
understandings.
References
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Take Action
STEPS FOR IMMEDIATE IMPLEMENTATION
To support students’ understanding of inter-
pretative responses, we suggest the following
actions for consideration.
1. Choose thought-provoking texts involving
critical/social issues.
2. Offer multiple ways for students to respond to
literature that are interpretative in nature.
3. Dedicate discussion time to issues arising from
reading and depth of responses.
4. Dedicate discussion time to discussing the
difference between summary and critical
analysis of issues.
5. Gather examples to share with students as you
begin conversations regarding multi-modalities.
6. Review rubric with students and dedicate time
to discussing difficulties of expression in foreign
planes.
7. Offer multiple opportunities for students to
engage in multimodal responses and offer
multiple opportunities to transmediate.
335
 FEATURE ARTICLE

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More to Explore
CONNECTED CONTENT-BASED RESOURCES
✓ Vasquez, V. ( 2014 ). Negotiating Critical Literacies with
young Children. New York, NY: Routledge.
✓ Berghoff, B., Borgmann, C., & Parr, C. ( 2005 ). Arts
Together: Steps Towards Transformative Teacher
Education. Reston, VA : National Art Education
Association.
✓ Arizpe, E., & Styles, M. ( 2003 ). Children reading
pictures: interpreting visual texts. New York, NY:
Routledge.
✓ Serafini, F. ( 2014 ). Reading the Visual: An Introduction
to teaching Multimodal Literacy. New York, NY:
Teachers College Press.

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