Course Title: A Pedagogy for Multiliteracies

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: A Pedagogy for Multiliteracies

Credit Points: 12


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

TCHE2131

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

360H Education

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2006,
Sem 2 2007,
Sem 2 2008,
Sem 2 2009,
Sem 2 2010

Course Coordinator: Dr. Gloria Latham

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7848

Course Coordinator Email:gloria.latham@rmit.edu.au


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

Building on earlier courses in Literacy and Numeracy that focused on how children learn to be literate and numerate, you will now direct your studies to examine closely the new role of the teacher of literacy and numeracy - in particular the multiliteracies by becoming an author/illustrator and student - learning how to create texts that involve both literacy and numeracy concepts.

Brian Street (1998) suggests that there is recognition of multiple literacies that vary across contexts - rather than a single ‘autonomous’ literacy: such pluralized literacies are not only embedded in varied cultural meanings but are also always deeply ideological and involve power struggles - including over the definitions themselves.

The terms literacy events and literacy practices have proved useful for both research and practice The ‘social’ in this sense is conceptualised not simply as immediate interactions in the ‘context of situation’ but also focuses on less visible aspects of institutional, relational and ideological social practices. Applying these ideas to the study of literacy and numeracy and other curriculum areas raises the question of what it means to deploy the terms ‘numeracy events’, arts, and science events and practices and to take into account the broader features of ‘social’ life that give us meaning.

This course will engage you in a social event as you share, debate, examine and create texts for authentic purposes. Hopefully this will assist you in helping your students create these texts.




Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

On completion of this course students should demonstrate:
- A critical understanding and application of the teaching and learning of multiliteracies
- Implicit numeracy and literacy demands in school and out of school tasks
- Development of higher order thinking and integration across all KLA’s
- Application of inclusive practices.
- Understandings of what is worth teaching and what counts as knowledge in the 21st Century.
- Production of a Multiliteracies text.
- Development of investigative skills in locating and analysing texts.


Capabilities
Course Capabilities
2.7 Engage in ongoing research and development
4.3 Apply the principles of learning and cultivate the capacity to learn within themselves and others
7.2 demonstrate a critical understanding of professional practices
7.5 Incorporate an understanding of the integrated nature of learning.
7.6 display consideration of a curriculum that acknowledges different knowledge, context, cultural/ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds of families and communities.


This course enables preservice teachers to consolidate their learning, particularly from the perspectives of

  • commitment and engagement in research and development
  • lifelong learners
  • professional knowledge, understandings and application.


Overview of Learning Activities

This course will present a new model of teaching and how you can facilitate student needs in practical and purposeful ways and incorporates, for example, tutorials, guest speakers, films, excursions, flexible delivery modes and cross campus investigations.


Overview of Learning Resources

The course relies on preservice teachers to use a wide variety of resources, particularly web-based, to engage in their learning.  Details of resources will be provided during the program.




Overview of Assessment

The course will focus on one key assessment task that is complex and thus have multi-components. The assessed work will include online participation and development and design of appropropriate text and reflection on the processes that were engaged.