Multimodality in the New Content Standards Era: Implications for English Learners

Abstract

New content standards in English language arts and literacy, mathematics, and science expect all students, including English learners (ELs), to use multiple modes beyond language. Traditionally, conceptualizations of multimodality in EL education and the content areas have differed considerably. To acknowledge and begin confronting these differences, the author proposes weak and strong versions of multimodality. Whereas the weak version privileges language and takes nonlinguistic modes as scaffolds for language development with ELs, the strong version views multiple modes as essential to engaging in disciplinary practices. Adopting the strong version, the author analyzes work samples from a fourth-grade science classroom to illustrate how students deploy multiple modes strategically as they engage in scientific modeling. This analysis also shows how a multimodal lens can shed light on the unique affordances and limitations of language, a mode of particular relevance to ELs. The author argues that embracing the strong version of multimodality is not only necessary but transformative for ELs in the new content standards era, because it allows them to draw from the meaning-making resources at their disposal while engaging in disciplinary practices. In light of divergent conceptualizations of multimodality, the article ends with a call to action for closer collaboration between language and content educators. doi: 10.1002/tesq.443