Critical Framing in a Pedagogy of Multiliteracies

Abstract

Recent research and educational policies have alerted teachers to the importance of
multiliteracies. Communication in society today is characterised by rapidly changing
and emergent forms of meaning-making in a context of increased cultural and linguistic
diversity. This paper responds to these imperatives, discussing key findings of a critical ethnography concerning interactions between pedagogy and access to multiliteracies among culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Data collection involved 18 days of lesson observations in a year six classroom over 10 weeks using field and journal notes, continuous audio-visual and audio recording, and the collection of cultural artefacts. Semi-structured interviewing was also conducted with the teacher, principal,and students. The data analytic tools included low and high inference coding and pragmatic horizon analysis. The findings concerned the use of critical framing – an
important component of the multiliteracies pedagogy. The teacher’s enactment of this
pedagogy had a significant influence on the learners' ability to access Claymation movie
designing. The conclusion addresses relevant literature concerning how to apply the
multiliteracies pedagogy to enable meaningful designing.