Improve Pedagogical Literary Practices through Transmediation

Educators should consider students' background knowledge in the classroom to support their learning. Students' digital identities and lived experiences are often overlooked as valuable background knowledge that can enhance their visual literacy skills. Rather than solely focusing on school-based text to determine comprehension levels within the traditional model of schooling, educators should integrate students' visual literacy skills pedagogically. This pedagogical integration should consider how students communicate and make meaning of information through multimodal ensembles.

How do we make meaning of the world around us? Growing up in an urban community, life was inherently visual for me. In a household where children were expected to be seen and not heard, I quickly learned to interpret body language and nonverbal cues. As I got older, I became deeply interested in television, using various genres and characters to explore life beyond my immediate environment. Television provided visual cues that shaped my understanding of societal roles, family structures, and cultural diversity. While these representations were sometimes stereotypical, they still contributed to my understanding of the world.

Media literacy is gaining traction as a critical pedagogy for educators to understand 21st-century learners. However, for students to fully grasp the multiliteracies they engage with, they must first be encouraged to embrace their natural ability to make meaning from the world around them. Public education must instill confidence in every student by affirming their capacity to learn. My research focuses on diverse student populations within marginalized communities—students who have been stifled by the traditional school model and whose language acquisition has often been reduced to a perception of illiteracy.

One teacher, in particular, sparked my interest in multimodal learning: Mr. Gainis Wright, my ninth-grade English teacher. He utilized multiple modalities to teach Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Initially, he encouraged us to embody the characters through dramatic readings, making the story more accessible. We then watched a stage play adaptation, which visually connected us to the characters. Finally, we created our own visual presentations and rewrote scenes, fostering a deeper understanding through multimodal engagement. This approach was transformative, as it allowed me to interact with the text beyond traditional reading and writing.

Traditional schooling models often measure comprehension through standardized testing, which prioritizes students who excel in traditional text-based literacy. However, this system disadvantages students who, like myself, struggle to articulate their meaning-making abilities through conventional text formats. Labeling students based on standardized scores can harm their self-efficacy and belief in their learning capabilities. This paper argues for the expansion of instructional practices to include visual and multimodal literacy pedagogies that complement standardized assessments.

To explore how educators can co-create knowledge with students using visual literacy skills, I define comprehension as the process of understanding and internalizing information. The Oxford English Dictionary (2010) defines comprehension as "the action or fact of comprehending with the mind; understanding;...grasping with the mind, power of receiving and containing ideas." Brown (2007) similarly describes comprehension as "the process of receiving language; listening or reading; input" (p. 379). This paper will explore how transmediation pedagogy and 21st-century digital tools, such as social media, can support visual literacy. Social media platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram rely on images and videos to create engagement (Talib, 2018). These platforms use visual semiotics and optional mode choices to provide common visual cues for all users. By incorporating similar digital or social environments in education, students can leverage their multimodal linguistic choices to enhance comprehension (Jee & Li, 2014; Majidi & Aydinlu, 2016).

Dual Coding Theory

Dual Coding Theory, developed by Allan Paivio (1971), posits that forming mental images aids learning. Paivio identified two ways of expanding on learned material: verbal associations and visual imagery. He described how memory works by transferring conceptual knowledge between two major categories: imagen (imagery) and logogen (verbal representation). This semiotic process provides a structural framework for understanding how the brain builds memory and comprehension (Paivio, 1971, 1990; Sadoski et al., 1997).

Critical Praxis Theory

Ruth Harman’s Critical Praxis Theory (2017) is grounded in social semiotics, which explores the capacity to create meaning through various semiotic resources. Drawing on the work of The New London Group (1996) and Gunther Kress (2000, 2010), Critical Praxis emphasizes the role of design and reflective literacy. Social semiotics asserts that language and other resources (such as gesture, color, and vocal quality) acquire meaning through communication and are reshaped in each exchange (Halliday, 1978; Kress, 2010 as cited in Harman, 2017). Integrating these theoretical frameworks into literacy instruction expands educators' approach to traditional text-based learning.

Semiotics and Multimodality

The shift in students’ semiotic experiences beyond text necessitates a reexamination of traditional literacy instruction. Hasan (2004) argues that interactions are a continuous semiotic flow that mediates our understanding of the world. Traditional schooling relies heavily on language-based learning (Dunn, 2001), yet multimodal communication through social media, smartboards, and digital devices is increasingly prevalent (Kress, 2003; Bezemer & Kress, 2016). Educators must recognize that meaning-making occurs through various semiotic resources, including imagery, sound, and movement (Forceville, 2011; Suhor, 1984).

Transmediation

Transmediation is the process of negotiating texts through new sign systems (Semali, 2002). O’Neil (2007) emphasizes that teachers must create opportunities for students to transition between different modes of expression, fostering deeper comprehension. Research suggests that transmediation enhances student learning by encouraging reflection, revision, and engagement with multimodal resources (Graham, 2017; Altenderfer et al., 2012). By incorporating transmediation in the classroom, educators can expand students’ literacy skills and critical thinking abilities.

Conclusion

Educators must improve pedagogical literacy practices by integrating transmediation and digital tools into instruction. The GETLit! App provides a solution for educators to incorporate multimodal strategies, fostering students’ meaning-making abilities through visual literacy. Teacher training in dual coding and transmediation will ensure that educators can effectively support diverse learners. By bridging the gap between traditional literacy models and 21st-century digital literacy, GETLit! empowers educators and students to navigate an increasingly visual world.