Multimodal Thoughts

The multimodal approach to composition is certainly an interesting one. Multimodality allows for endless creativity within projects that would normally be restricted to writing projects, which are usually in an outlined format. Multimodal work is fascinating and it incorporates quite frequently all the dimensions of learning we as a species can think of. Music, writing, visual images, and pretty much any other experience-able outlet of communication is open to interpretation and application.

However this very same freedom may also pose a problem when it comes down to writing something in the grade book. We all know the educational system is all sorts of messed up but still we are all to be subjects within its tyrannical rule. So how do we as teachers and potential teachers use multimodality in our teaching in a way that is tangible to students? I have to admit my least favorite work in school was the “do something with the material and have fun!” assignment because I didn’t know how to approach it and it left me more confused than anything. It’s hard as a student to be given that sort of freedom and be expected to make something great.

While the articles we read did cite some pretty neat things students did with their assignments, how many students were lost with the lack of structure? Not everyone excels at do-it-yourself teaching and not everyone has access to make cool things happen. Students are usually more worried about passing the class than rocking out to some neato assignment especially when they are in grade school and they have a bunch of other classes they are stressing out about.

Because of this, I think the approach has to be thought out and not just tossed at students. Yes, we are used to doing the same stuffy assignments and they don’t leave us much room to develop, however going from outlines to freestyle and back to outlines is quite traumatic when you’re worried about keeping up that GPA.

I think something that is worth noting is when teachers integrate multimodal approaches and encourage it in a classroom setting. Many teachers do. We watch videos and try projects out throughout school, but when it comes to higher-caliber classes it is usually back to the essay. Though some classes want multimodal approaches and demand them – but not all students have had a chance to experience this before being immersed in it and expected to float.

Still, I think it is a great idea to expand the learning processes of students. There is – like in practically everything – more than one way to go about completing a task, allowing students to take different approaches certainly only aids the learning process. It allows people to examine a single issue through many different lenses and apply their own skills that they have developed throughout their life in a way that they can apply themselves.