NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
ERIC Number: ED648090
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 209
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3514-1616-8
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Multimodality as Meaning-Making: Multimodal Invitations to Deepen and Document Understanding in a Fifth Grade Classroom
Melinda K. Smith
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Hofstra University
This teacher-research study explored how opportunities for multimodal project learning provided time in the classroom for ongoing conversations and inquiries that promoted student agency and growth, cultivated content and literacy learning, and inherently provided authentic assessment opportunities. This study documented the multimodal curriculum and assessments in a fifth-grade classroom conducted during integrated theme studies and learning experiences across the school year. Analysis focused on the multimodal learning occurring during the process of learning experiences, students' multimodal work projects, students' views of themselves as learners, and the value of multimodal classroom experiences for learning and assessment. The study pushed back against the emphasis on standardized assessment and grading based solely on final projects. Data consisted of ethnographic observations, formal and informal process conferences, and samples of students' written reflections, process work, and final products. The thematic analysis looked at the specific ways students engaged with multimodal work, including multimodal brainstorming (e.g., sketching), and multimodal projects representing student learning and literacy development. Through discourse analysis, I focused on the language students used to demonstrate and communicate understanding, and what their multimodal texts revealed about their identities and growth as learners. Findings indicate that key artifacts of student learning were integral to the learning journey and needed to be analyzed along with the final multimodal project itself. The analysis foregrounded the process and multifaceted nature of embodied learning and its ability to cultivate lifelong learning strategies. My analysis showed that because multimodal projects encouraged students to build on prior knowledge and interact with new ideas to build new knowledge, multimodal projects provided alternate ways of knowing and supported traditional writing assignments, and they naturally provided the time and space for deep learning to occur because students were engaged with the work in meaningful and authentic ways. Multimodal invitations also provided rich opportunities to document the complexities of student learning. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 5; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A