Multimodal representations of identity in the English-as-an-additional-language classroom in South Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID12112778
AuthorsLeila Kajee (0000-0001-9039-4186, University of Johannesburg, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume24
Issue3
Pages241-252
Publication date2011-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage Culture and Curriculum (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0790-8318 • E-ISSN: 1747-7573
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/07908318.2011.610896
OpenAlexW1974913694
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited18

This paper explores the multimodal engagement of English-as-an-additional-language (EAL) students in a classroom in Johannesburg. Within a social semiotic framework, and using constructions of design and identity to understand the students' multimodal engagement, the paper argues that multimodal representations offer EAL students from under-resourced contexts opportunities for creativity and agency to redesign meaning. It demonstrates how they use the opportunities provided to reconstruct their identities as black South Africans and to communicate a sense of their own social world. The analysis focuses on two texts produced by the students – a digital narrative text and a poetry performance – to illustrate their multimodal engagement with literacy. The paper concludes with an examination of the broader implications for teaching and learning EAL

Aesthetics · Agency (philosophy · Art · Creativity · Identity (music · Linguistics · Literacy · Meaning (existential · Multimodality · Narrative · Pedagogy · Semiotics · Social science · Social semiotics · Sociology · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Literacy, Media, and Education · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub