Multimodal Literacies MOOC’s Updates
Section 13: Making Audio and Oral Meanings
Audio and oral meanings share the sense of hearing as the primary medium of reception. Audio meanings range from ambient or background sounds in our environment, to sounds that have symbolic meaning, and to the complex meanings represented in music. Oral meanings carry with them the basic qualities of audio meanings as we modulate volume and pitch in the sounds of speaking. Despite the important connections, there are large and significant differences between the ways in which language is formed in the oral and written modes. These differences are what motivates mode-shifting in communications and learning, not just between oral and written meanings, but across the full range of modes of meaning.
To explore these issues further, see the supporting material on the Literacies website.
Comment Below: Of what significance are the differences between speaking and writing for literacies teaching and learning?
Make an Update: Analyze an example of a curriculum resource or practice which connects audio and/or oral meanings to reading or writing. Use this example to explain the dimensions of multimodal literacies pedagogy.
In the traditional mode of conducting classes where students come face to face with the teachers in school, and the teaching and learning process happens inside the classrooms, multimodal literacies are frequently observe. During the discussions of lessons where teachers talk/ teach and students listen, it shows the change from oral phase to writing or reading when students do research and further deepening of the topics at hand through books or through reflections. One of the best activities which would entail such multimodal literacies is an activity involving debate. of course in the phase of instruction its the oral to written/ reading, because here students needs to do a lot of research. Another activity would be reflective writing where students would listen first to an audio recording then they would reflect through writings or further readings of the subject at hand.
For me as an educator/ teacher, the difference of effectiveness between speech and writing is that, in speech students learn confidence and speech ability ofcourse, and in writing, students have more rooms for their self expression.
During this pandemic, COVID-19, the students and teachers interaction is limited. Distance learning is widely used modality to cope up with the present situation. And in this, multimodal learning is also observed. For specific example, say in the self learning modules, in the instructions, the students are asked to listen to a song via youtube or listen to a podcast, then they are required to make their reflection about what they listened to, then, the transition from listening to written mode is observed.
to add, in the early years of pupil in school, if one can remember, there is an activity that mainly focuses on the students hearing/listening skills and writing, and this is the part of the curriculum where the students are trained in spelling, well here they have to listen very well to improve their vocabulary , listening skills and spelling.
Reading problems may also be caused by breakdowns in other components such as fluency, vocabulary, and/or text comprehension. Deficits in vocabulary and text comprehension are very often associated with oral language difficulties. Poor comprehension of text may be due to challenges with attention and/or memory. Because reading problems have various causes at their root, and because these various causes are treated in different ways, it is critical to specifically identify and address all of the underlying causes.
Writing is the expressive mode of written language and involves using written symbols of language to communicate. Writing not only includes the ability to accurately represent the graphic form of speech (letters and words) but also the ability to develop and express one’s thoughts in a cohesive, structured manner. The skills required for effective writing include knowledge of spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar, an understanding of how word order in sentences affects meaning, and the ability to distinguish main ideas from supporting ideas or details.
Listening involves understanding what we hear. To listen effectively, one must be able to retain “chunks” of language in short-term and working memory, recognize and understand vocabulary, recognize the stress and rhythm patterns of speech and glean meaning from context.
Speaking skills include the correct pronunciation of words, the appropriate use of vocabulary and grammar and the ability to recall words from long-term memory. The goal of speaking is to make our ideas and explanations clear and understandable to others. Effective speaking also involves the ability to use language within the social context.
Children who struggle with language often perform poorly in school because they have trouble understanding what is said to them, what they read, and expressing their thoughts to others. Students with language processing problems should receive instruction or therapy by a qualified professional, as well as receiving accommodations and modifications in the school setting, if necessary, to assure school success.
Speaking and writing are different. It is a misconception and is not right to assume that transcribing the speech is writing. They are different and their grammar's are different. They give different meanings. A sentence could be uttered with different stress, pause and intonations but the equivalent for that is just punctuation rules in writing system. The punctuation is superficial and may not exactly replicate the meaning that comes out of utterance through speech. Moreover, writing is concise but speech is redundant and happens instantaneously with confusions and doubts. In a classroom scenario too, we may find one proxy student who continues to answer teacher's questions as others observe but on a learning management system that is multi-modal capable, many students will participate by writing their views points or may record their podcast or speech views. Teacher can later do learning analytics also in this case. Both speaking and writing are different and do not have overlaps as does the other multi-modal modes do (spatial, gestural etc) but both are important. The mult-modal learning environment must provide scope for synestheesia of all modes that includes writing and speaking.
Bill Cope has put ‘speaking’ for literacies teaching and learning in a new level by contrasting the classical classroom discourse and the new media platform discussion. As Cope summarizes, only a few student/s may orally respond to a teacher’s motivational question in classical classroom. The rest of the class may take time listening and processing their responses; most of the time answers (ideas) are repeated. Unlike with a (given) new media environment (eg. scholar), when the teacher asks a question, all students respond by writing their answers on a thread all at once. Speaking ‘orally’ in a traditional classroom can sometimes manipulate the rest of the students’ perception of ‘the answer’. However, on Scholar (or whatever digital media platform), various answers (ideas) can be elicited prompting other students to think critically and respond creatively. So, in the new media platform, it’s not only one (or two) student who is ‘speaking’ (responding to the teacher-motivator) but the entire class is (that could become the motivator/s). One student may be ‘speaking’ (responding) to another’s response, and/or a group of three may be ‘speaking’ with each other’s common idea. So, ‘speaking’ in itself, is not entirely, oral, but rather ‘responding by writing’. Thus, meaningful and effective teaching & learning is impossible using only one mode pedagogy.
I would comment one podcast channel as an example of shifting between audio and writing, or of shifting between modes as we can see in the video 13.1.
The podcast channel I want to comment is of a Brazilian writer. Her name is Ana Rushe and we can find her podcasts here: http://anarusche.com/podcast/
The episodes now are structured: they have script, guest commentators and a target audience: the life of the one who writes. But she has began to record the episodes using the of notes for writing taught by her. In it’s current form, the episodes explore the relationship between living and writing habits and this perspective are very interesting to think about the creation process of the writers. By the other hand, there are episodes recorded based on writing and writing based on themes narrated in episodes. I think we can see here different modes operating in practice.
Another example of shifting between oral, audio recorder and writing is the usage of software that we can record audio notes and it transcribe in to text for us. I use the app Transcribe – Speech to Text (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/transcribe-speech-to-text/id1241342461?mt=8) and a bot in Telegram (@transcribe_bot). It was Ana Rushe, the writer, who show me this approach. When she don’t have a paper to write, she record her ideas and after that she copy the text and edit it. This approach also give her some time. And than she uses this pieces of text in different contexts, like in chapter of a book, as an ideia for a poem or essay.
So this are the two examples I would share here. I hope we can discuss if they are examples of multimodal practices. About the second example, I think there are also the topic of the mediation of the machine in process of recorder audio and transcribe it in to a text for editing.
Curriculum refers to everything that has to do with learning in an academic or learning environment. There is a mode shifting between while teaching audio and/or oral meanings to writing. In this case,applying the path to synesthesia for effective learning is for the teacher to be able to switch mode from one aspect of learning to another for the desired effect to take place. For example,while trying to apply the concept of meaning to oral or audio aspect of writing,there are ways to do that:
First,let's take teaching a lesson in animals;a cat,or dog which are very common animals in my place(tactile). For the task to take effect,the teacher needs to ask,first,the students about seeing a cat,or dog...before. This will make a quick recall of the animal image into their brain. This might be a stimulant to awake their memory and arouse interest.
Then,the mental image formed in the students minds will be transferred into perception. In this stage,the students will be required to describe (orally) it;how it cries,its body parts,movement,what does it eat…
The next stage is for the students to draw the cat. Their mental imagination is now transformed into writing. Each student is now instructed to draw mentally the cat. Now,transfer of mental perception is made into writing on a piece of paper. Coloring might be required to to make the process or task more lively. In this case,students might be asked to use the similar color in which they perceive the cat they saw was.
The next stage of the process is for them to learn the actual picture of the cat through display. The teacher displays or unveils the picture of a cat to the students. Now,it has been transformed from perception to almost reality. The impact of this for the students to quickly realize the difference,if there is,between what they drew and the actual picture of the cat. In addition,they begin to write (written descriptions) about the cat using the multimodal grammar as in:
1-To Refer: -“cat” as a common noun
-Its proper noun name.
-Concept:an animal
-Characteristics:size,color,tall,short e.t.c
Related prepositions/possessives: the cat is in the room,my cat,your cat…
2-To Dialogue:the sound a cat makes…
3-To Structure:forming phrases,clauses...to give a mental image of a cat,or dog…
4-To situate:where the picture of the cat,or dog...is taken. Let the students identify the environment or surrounding.
5-To intend:what is the purpose of the picture of that very animal;the meaning of intention should be clearly stated to the students.
Finally,technology should be integrated in teaching this aspect of learning. For example,a software or application that has to with learning about animals. I.e whether in YouTube documentary,an emoji or whatever in an application software...to be used to convey most and effective meaning.