The role of multimodality labs in multiliteracy projects

Abstract

in contemporary society, there has been an increasing pervasiveness of images, sounds, shapes and bodily expressions in our everyday lives. a number of academic studies have addressed such meaning-making resources in varying theoretical and methodological perspectives, with the general goal of describing and understanding how these semiotic modes 1) are constituted, 2) construe representations of our experiences in the world, and 3) can be addressed in educational contexts in order to help learners be more apt to function in such new configurations of texts and media. Therefore, this paper presents an overview of research carried out in five multimodality labs across the world, with special attention to the relevance of their work as far as multiliteracies are concerned. Firstly, we review the set-up of each lab and highlight their contributions, research strengths and recent projects. Finally, we discuss some of the similarities and distinctive aspects of these labs in order to offer a sense of the co-ordinated work across them and to promote greater awareness of their contributions.

Keywords

• multimodality
• reserch labs
• multiliteracies
• semiotic modes