The Salty Chip Blog

A social space to learn more about the Canadian Multiliteracies Collaborative

May
26

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From Literacy to Multiliteracies

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We were delighted to welcome Dr. Jim Cummins from OISE University of Toronto as our Keynote Speaker at the Language and Literacy Researchers of Canada Pre-CSSE conference this year. Jim’s talk, From Literacy to Multiliteracies set the context for our discussions for the day providing a helpful overview that mapped various policies and practices that have shaped discussion and pedagogy in North American classrooms over the last couple of decades.

Given the institutional contexts that we are operating in, Jim’s talk was a call to refocus on engagement and rethink classroom pedagogy in ways that allow us to showcase students’ abilities. Technology is one way to amplify the unique and local abilities of our students.

Jim returned to a common theme in his work; reminding us to ask ourselves a key question: What image of the child are we sketching in our instruction?
-Capable of becoming bilingual and biliterate?
-Capable of higher-order thinking and intellectual
accomplishments?
-Capable of creative and imaginative thinking?
-Capable of creating literature and art?
-Capable of generating new knowledge?
-Capable of thinking about and finding solutions to social
issues?

He asked us to consider what our current realities are, what our vision for the future is, and how we might move from the former to the latter. He offered some of his own thoughts about this process by providing an organizational framework representing his current thinking on this topic. Recognizing the goal of ‘literacy achievement’ -that he argued comes through print access/literacy engagement,
he suggests that we need to keep four practices in mind: scaffolding meaning; connecting to learners; lives; affirming their identity and extending language.

He invited us to consider our own ‘blindspots’ to achieving our goals and to think about how we might address the gaps that exist between ‘in’ and ‘out of school’ literacies.

Jim has graciously shared his powerpoint: Cummins LLRC plenary May 26 2012
Thanks to Dianne Collier LLRC Pre-CSSE Conference Chair and her committee for organizing a very fruitful day.
Language and Literacy Researchers of Canada

Apr
25

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TED ED: Lessons worth sharing!

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TED, the well-known non-profit organization that has generated a great deal of interest through its video ‘talks’ “Ideas Worth Sharing” has turned its attention to the educational world in an exciting new way. Aligning very closely with the key tenets that Multiliteracies researchers have been talking about for some time, the new tools that TED has launched allow teachers and students to share and collaborate and redefine lessons focused around video content.

Their new site, TEDED: Lessons Worth Sharing contains video that aligns in some way with subject area content. Teachers and students are encouraged -as with the Salty Chip- to customize the lessons that support the video lesson – or create a new video lesson themselves. The idea is based on the concept raised by folks in the Kahn Academy and MIT OPENCOURSE WARE of ‘flipped teaching: “This refers to a method of instruction where classroom-based teaching time and traditional “homework” time are reversed (flipped). A teacher provides video lessons to be reviewed outside of class, which in turn gives teachers more time in class to focus on higher-order learning skills” (TEDED).

This resource was built in part from a $1.25 million dollar commitment from Kohl’s Department Stores. While we don’t have access to such resources, it would be fun to try this in whatever way possible at the Faculty of Education this year!

Mar
5

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Contemporary Issues in Multiliteracies: Connectivity, Interactivity and Mobility

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I am pleased to invite you to come and hear internationally renowned scholar and Canada Research Chair in Multiliteracies, Dr. Jennifer Rowsell on Monday, March 26, 2012. Her talk, titled: Contemporary Issues in Multiliteracies: Interactivity, Connectivity, and Mobility will take place from 1:00 – 3:30 in the Faculty of Education’s Community Room. We will open the room up for dialogue following this discussion and we are hoping to stimulate some interesting ideas around how our thinking about literacy is changing and what this means to our future practice.

This talk was livestreamed. To view a recording of the talk, please go to
May the Force Be With You: Interactivity, Connectivity, and Mobility

Thanks to all who asked questions via Twitter #multiliteracies.
You may contact me at either khibbert@uwo.ca for further information, or @khibbert

Mar
3

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Constructing Meaning: Teaching the Language Arts K-8

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This revised edition of Constructing Meaning is founded in a commitment to helping educators expand learners’ communication and identity options through multiliteracies curriculum and pedagogies. Tailored for Canadian contexts, the book focuses on how multiple modes and media may be taught, learned,, and valued by diverse student populations in ways that foster the critically reflective discernment of professional educators. Capitalizing on a strong Canadian research base complemented by international scholars, Constructing Meaning offers detailed understandings and illustrations of learners’ reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and representing practices, grade-appropriate book lists, illustrations of teaching/learning in action, and wisdom from practicing educators.

This book, co-authored by Joyce Bainbridge (Emeritus, University of Alberta) and Rachel Heydon (University of Western Ontario) includes a final chapter on “Multiliteracies -in-use” that I wrote. In it, I have featured some wonderful teachers that I have been able to get to know over the years including Geraldine Van de Kleut, Zoe Branigan-Pipe, Ben Hazzard, Rodd Lucier and others. Many names from my Twitter community (e.g., Colin Jago, George and Alec Couros) are there. A number of people that I met at a TEDx OntarioED event are featured (e.g., Jesse James, Common Craft). It is nice to be part of a Canadian text so well received that it is in its fifth edition! Check it out!

Mar
3

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Phronesis as Professional Knowledge: Practical Wisdom in the Professions

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I was honoured to be a part of this book, and it has just been released:

Phronesis is the Aristotelian notion of practical wisdom. In this collected series, phronesis is explored as an alternate way of considering professional knowledge. In the present context dominated by technical rationalities and instrumentalist approaches, a re-examination of the concept of phronesis offers a fundamental re-visioning of the educational aims in professional schools and continuing professional education programs.

This book originated from a conversation amongst an interdisciplinary group of scholars from education, health, philosophy, and sociology, who share concerns that something of fundamental importance – of moral significance – is missing from the vision of what it means to be a professional. The contributors consider the ways in which phronesis offers a generative possibility for reconsidering the professional
knowledge of practitioners. The question at the centre of this inquiry is: “If we take phronesis seriously as an organising framework for professional knowledge, what are the implications for professional education and practice?”

A multiplicity of understandings emerge as to what is meant by phronesis and how it might be reinterpreted, understood, applied, and extended in a world radically different to that of the progenitor of the term, Aristotle. For those concerned with professional life this is a conversation not to be missed.

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