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Multimodality in Early Literacy
Supporting diverse populations in language development and acquisition
“Reading is a natural process that will happen eventually… right?” Wrong! Educators have known for some time now that the literacy learning process is not linear, nor is there a “one-size-fits-all” model.
So, how do we avoid getting lost in the shuffle and adequately meet our learners' ever-changing needs? One promising solution is to embed multimodality in literacy instruction.
Language learning and acquisition are complex processes involving many stages of development that students must progress through until mastery is achieved. The multifaceted nature of literacy requires both support of the natural processes of growth and explicit instruction in concepts whose skills are not naturally obtained. This is why differentiation is such an important factor in instructional planning.
Multimodality provides this differentiation in literacy by “allowing for an array of modes to represent literacy achievement and understanding” (Crane-Deklerk, 2020). Multimodality helps students develop literacy skills through the meaningful engagement of multiple senses and learning experiences in reading, writing, and oral language instruction.
