multimodal literacy teaching visual texts through a systemic approach (critical viewing)

MULTIMODAL LITERACYTEACHING VISUAL TEXTS THROUGH

A SYSTEMIC APPROACH(CRITICAL VIEWING)

FLOW OF PRESENTATION

1) Background2) Introduction to Systemic Approach3) Systemic Approach in Action4) Q and A

BACKGROUND

Teachers will:

▪ teach pupils how to actively construct meaning from non-print texts that they view,

▪ help pupils to comprehend closely & critically a variety of different types of texts and,

▪ teach pupils to think critically & reflect on what they view to become critical viewers.

EL SYLLABUS 2010

▪ The multimodal discourse framework was developed by O’Toole (1994/2010), Kress & van Leeuwen (1996/2006)

▪ The framework was extended by Lim & O’Halloran (2012) and Tan, Marissa and O’Halloran (2012).

▪ An approach was developed to the teaching of visual texts pitched at secondary school students in Singapore.

THEORY TO PRACTICE

TEXTUAL META-FUNCTION(COMPOSITIONAL)

MEANINGINTERPERSONAL META-FUNCTION

(ENGAGEMENT)

IDEATIONAL META-FUNCTION(INFORMATIONAL)

MICHAEL O’TOOLE (1994) The Language of Displayed Art

MULTIMODAL DISCOURSE FRAMEWORK

SYSTEMIC APPROACH

▪ Introduce parts and strategies in visual texts

▪ Collaboratively annotate & analyse visual texts with ICT tool

SYSTEMIC APPROACH

SYSTEMIC APPROACH

• Pedagogical scaffolds based on Systemic Functional Linguistics and multimodality

• Language to talk about visual text• Knowing the genre helps students know what and

where to look

▪ Introduce parts and strategies in visual texts

▪ Collaboratively annotate & analyse visual texts with ICT tool

▪ Introduce parts and strategies in visual texts

▪ Collaboratively annotate & analyse visual texts with ICT tool

SYSTEMIC APPROACH

• Pedagogical scaffolds based on Systemic Functional Linguistics and multimodality

• Language to talk about visual text• Knowing the genre helps students know what and

where to look

• Students support interpretation with textual evidence

FORM

AUDIENCE

MESSAGE

VISUAL

LANGUAGE

ADDRESS

PROMINENCE

POWER

DISTANCE

REPRESENTATION

APPEAL

MAIN VISUAL DISPLAY

FOCUS OF ATTENTION

LOGO ICONS

HEADLINE BRAND NAME MAIN TEXTCALL TO ACTION

SLOGANPRODUCT

NAMELIST CALL & VISIT

SIZE SHARPNESSFOREGROUN

DLIGHTING

COLOUR CONTRAST

DIRECT GAZEINDIRECT

GAZENO GAZE

HIGH ANGLE LOW ANGLE NO ANGLE

CLOSE SHOTMEDIUM

SHOTLONG SHOT

CROWN HEAD HEART

LITERAL INFERENTIAL

SYSTEMIC APPROACH

▪ Form▪ Audience▪ Message▪ Integration▪ Link▪ Y

FORMVISUAL

MAIN VISUAL DISPLAY

LANGUAGEFOCUS OF

ATTENTION

LOGO

ICONS

FORM (VISUAL)

▪ Main Visual Display Largest & most prominent

▪ Focus of AttentionStands out most

▪ LogoGraphic representation of company

▪ IconGraphic representation of ideas

FORM (VISUAL)

MARQUEED

FORM (VISUAL)

FORM (VISUAL)

FORM (VISUAL)

CROCODOC

CROCODOC

FORMVISUAL

LANGUAGE

FORM (LANGUAGE)

SLOGAN

BRAND NAME

PRODUCT NAME

MAIN TEXT

LIST

CALL TO ACTION

HEADLINE

CALL & VISIT

FORM (LANGUAGE)

▪ Headline : Largest text▪ Slogan : Memorable catch

phrases▪ Brand Name : Name of brand,

company▪ Product Name : Name of product▪ Main Text : Details & description▪ Sub-categories : Bulleted points▪ Call to Action : Command to do

something▪ Call & Visit : Contact details

SYSTEMIC APPROACH

▪ Form▪ Audience▪ Message▪ Integration▪ Link▪ Y

AUDIENCEADDRESS

PROMINENCE

POWER

DISTANCE

SHARPNESS

COLOUR CONTRAST

LIGHTING

SIZE

FOREGROUND

AUDIENCE (PROMINENCE)

AUDIENCEADDRESS

PROMINENCE

POWER

DISTANCE

AUDIENCE (ADDRESS)

DIRECT GAZE

INDIRECT GAZE

NO GAZE

AUDIENCEADDRESS

PROMINENCE

DISTANCE

POWER

AUDIENCE (DISTANCE)

CLOSE SHOT

MEDIUM SHOT

LONG SHOT

AUDIENCEADDRESS

PROMINENCE

DISTANCE

POWER

AUDIENCE (POWER)

HIGH ANGLE

LOW ANGLE

NO ANGLE

SYSTEMIC APPROACH

▪ Form▪ Audience▪ Message▪ Integration▪ Link▪ Y

MESSAGE

MESSAGE

APPEAL

REPRESENTATION LITERAL

INFERENTIAL

MESSAGE (REPRESENTATION)

Literal meaning

FedEx Express delivers vases.

LITERAL FEDEX DELIVERS VASE

Literal meaning

FedEx Express delivers vases.

INFERENTIAL DELIVERS FRAGILE ITEMS SAFELY

MESSAGE

APPEAL

REPRESENTATION

MESSAGE (APPEAL)

CROWN

HEAD

HEART

CROWN: ETHOS Credibility | Trust

HEAD: LOGOSLogic | Reason | Proof

HEART: PATHOSEmotions | Values

http://id-cube.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/visual-communications-ethos-pathos-logos-1310731-1024x791.jpg

SYSTEMIC APPROACH

▪ Form▪ Audience▪ Message▪ Integration▪ Link▪ Y

INTEGRATION OFLANGUAGE AND IMAGES

▪ Co-contextualising Relations(Semantic Convergence)

▪ Re-contextualising Relations(Semantic Divergence)

SIMILARMESSAGE

Reinforcement

INTEGRATION OFLANGUAGE AND IMAGES

DIFFERENTMESSAGE

Play Breakdown

SarcasmIrony

AmbivalenceConfusion

INTEGRATION OFLANGUAGE AND IMAGES

IRONY

VISUAL PUN

SYSTEMIC APPROACH

▪ Form▪ Audience▪ Message▪ Integration▪ Link▪ Y

▪ Beyond the viewing and representation exam component

▪ EL: Thematic approach▪ Skill set: Inference and interpretation skills ▪ Other subjects: literature, humanities, chemistry

LINK

SYSTEMIC APPROACH

▪ Form▪ Audience▪ Message▪ Integration▪ Link▪ Y

▪ Meaning is a result of choices made in text.

▪ Choices are made from System Networks. (Meaning Potential)

Y

• Teacher introduces:• how to identify system choices • possible interpretations of each design elements

Introduction of Selected System Choices

• Teacher elicits responses (personal) w.r.t. text from class

Pre-Annotation: Personal Response to Selected Text

• Students annotate text using a structured worksheet / ICT tool to guide their analysis

• Students discuss their interpretation as a pair/group

Annotation: Making sense of Selected Text

• Students present their interpretations to the class• Teacher facilitates a discussion on meanings made, links between ideas

and embedded social values in the advertisement

Post-discussion

SUGGESTED LESSON SEQUENCE

1) What does the advertisement aim to communicate?

2) What interesting things do you notice about the advertisement?

PRE-ANNOTATIONPERSONAL RESPONSE TO SELECTED TEXT

Why foreground personal response? Empower students’ responses Teachers ≠ oracle Encourage attitudes and habits of mind Gauging student prior knowledge

Collective response can be made visible by

by noting all responses on whiteboard or ICT tool (Google documents or padlet)

through exploratory talk: without value judgement, interesting points could be pursued and clarified

providing reference point for annotation exercise

collating divergent views

PRE-ANNOTATIONPERSONAL RESPONSE TO SELECTED TEXT

ANNOTATIONMAKING SENSE OF SELECTED TEXT

Identify system choice elements

Effect on audienceProvide evidence and anchor for the

interpretations

Links Draw immediate connections to

previously cited points

ANNOTATIONMAKING SENSE OF SELECTED TEXT

Performative task for upper secondary

Write a paragraphE.g.: With reference to textual evidence, what does the advertisement seek to communicate?

Reorganisation, persuasion, synthesis of ideas

POST DISCUSSION

▪ one or two points of interest identified earlier: debate

▪ advertisement relates and communicates certain values held by society

▪ needs questioning?

DISCUSSION ABOUT EMBEDDED SOCIAL VALUES

REFERENCES

O’Toole, M. (1994/2010). The language of displayed art (2nd edition). London & New York: Routledge (1st edition 1994).

Kress, G., van Leeuwen, T. (1996/2006). Reading images: The grammar of visual design (2nd edition). London & New York: Routledge (1st edition 1996).

bit.ly/criticalviewing

RESOURCES

bit.ly/criticalviewing0

RESOURCES

https://tinyurl.com/opal-mmlc

RESOURCES

Q AND A

victor_lim@moe.gov.sg

grace_dong@moe.gov.sg

tan_ching@moe.gov.sg

THANK YOU