Presented at the Interdisciplinary Symposium on Multimodal Text 12 April 2016 at Macquarie University, Australia

1. Lori Lockyer
Assessing
multiliteracies in a
multimodal
environment
With Ian Brown, Peter Caputi, Jim
Tognolini, Kellie Buckley-Walker

2. • Key concepts
• Practical foundational work
• Conceptual model of multiliteracies
• Assessment considerations
Outline

3. Multiliteracies and multimodal
3
• ‘New’ approach to literacy and literacy pedagogy
(NLG,1996) accounting for:
• Linguistically and culturally diverse, dynamic,
globalised society
• Variety text forms emerging with developments in ICT
• Multiliteracies and multimodal are inextricably linked
• If our definition of what it means to be literate is
changing we need to change how we teach people to
become literate.

4. Australian Curriculum
…students become literate as they develop the knowledge, skills and
Dispositions to interpret and use language confidently for learning and
Communicating in and out of school and for participating effectively in society.
Literacy involves students listening to, reading, viewing, speaking, writing
and creating oral, print, visual and digital texts, and using and modifying language
for different purposes in a range of contexts.

5. What could this look like in the
classroom?
5
Analyse
ConstructDeconstruct

6. Conceptual model of multiliteracies
Searching for and
identifying information
Interpreting the
nature meaning and
purpose of
information
Using information
appropriate for
specific purposes
Separating
information into
smaller elements
Developing and
generating
products
Drawing together
relevant
information into a
coherent whole
Selecting the mode of
communication to
share with an
audience
Judging and critiquing
the quality and accuracy
of information

7. What about assessment?
• How do we know whether students are developing these
skills?
• Current assessment practices may not be keeping pace
with new pedagogies.
• Is it possible to design a ‘test’ for multiliteracies?

8. Measuring Multiliteracies: Aims
• Measure students’ ability to making meaning from/with a
variety of modes in a multimodal environment
• Teachers can ‘diagnose’ and track the growth in students’
abilities over time
• Teachers can design learning activities based on students’
multiliteracy skills

9. Research Process
•Research Group
•International Research Group
•Expert teachers
Development of the
Conceptual Model
• Expert teachers
• Research Group
Development of
Test Items
• 9 students from 3 schools
• 10 students from a variety of schools
• Think Aloud Protocols and Camtasia
Initial Testing
• 299 students
• 12 schools in NSW
• Tested on 3 occasions over 6 months
Internal Structure
• Expert teachers
• Research Group
Investigation of
Items

10. Online Multiliteracies Testing
Environment
• Test in three parts increasing in
complexity
• Closed response, short answer,
product
• Questions/responses
multimodal
• Cover three different topic areas

11. Findings – Higher order skills

12. Possible explanations and next
steps
• Students do not find these skills as difficult as we thought
• Items are not written in a way that assesses these higher
skills
• The rubrics need to be adjusted to reflect more clearly
what students who achieve these skills are actually doing
• The model needs to be investigated
• skills need to further defined
• May be two constructs rather than one: input (locating
etc…) and output (creating etc…) OR deconstruction
(locating etc…) and construction (creating etc…)
• Next steps: Focus on higher order skills: synthesizing,
creating, communicating
• How are they taught? How are they assessed?