2. Historical perspectives
Multimodality
• It is an approach to communication wherein
textual modes work in concert with each other
without a necessary privileging of one over
another.
• It is guided by the interests of a sign-maker at
given moment in time, place, and with particular
ways of making the sign.
3. Historical perspectives
New Literacies
• The term ‘The New Literacy Studies’ (Gee) describes
the ‘social turn’ that had taken place in the 1980’s and
1990’s as researchers had documented literacy
practices in community context, often using
ethnography to aid an understanding of these
practices.
Ethnography: a way in which repeated practices in
everyday life could be accessed, understood and
interpreted.
4. The role of ethnography
• By adopting na ethnographic perspective, it is
possible to take a more focused approach to
study particular aspects of everyday life and
cultural practices of a social group.
• Central to an ethnographic perspective is the
use of theories of culture and inquiry practices
derived from anthropology or sociology to
guide the research.
5. Learning ethnography is a lot like learning to
juggle. Both call for practice, close
observation, and the challenge of having to
manage more and more balls in the air.
7. New Literacy Studies and Multimodality
Together they are significant not only in terms
of educational contexts but also in terms of
everyday communicative practices.
