Selfe, Cynthia L. Multimodal Composition: Resources for Teachers.
Cresskill, NJ: Hampton, 2007. Print.
This chapter covers the issues of promoting successful multimodal assignments. This means "help(ing) teachers plan for and undertake assignments that can yield not only print essays, but also audio projects, video projects, and projects that combine the modalities of sound, image, and word. It extends the discussion begun in Chapter 2 by offering a third sample assignment that leaves the choice of composing modality open to students" (29).
I like the fact that this chapter's goal is to expand students' thinking about composing as we know it. Because of the huge strides that have been made in technology and the composing process, it's important to make sure that time is taken to help students understand that classroom compositions aren't the fixed entity that they once were. There are all kinds of ways to compose now, and teachers should share these ways with students at every possible level and through every possible medium.
Something I'm confused about is the fact that, on page 32, there is a large paragraph about using group work for this type of multimodal composition. That's a great idea in theory, but I have found that in group work, student usually split up the work according to what they're already good at. This doesn't do much for students in the way of learning. How can teachers encourage time-strapped students to try out things that may take longer, just for the sake of learning?
I'd like to know more about peer review within multimodal composition (pg. 36). This seems like it could potentially be really complicated. How can teachers make this work?
Ch. 9 of Selfe's Multimodal Composition is a chapter dedicated to reviewing and responding to multimodal projects. (I was assigned this chapter for my presentation so I'm a bit ahead). In the journalism field we are required to do many multimodal projects. It has been my experience that peer-review studio sessions are the best way to give feedback. You're right, it can get complicated. I always felt that the studio sessions were meant to help us grow as writers/designers rather than serve as a place to get a letter grade. By showing our projects (videos, photographs, slideshows, etc) to the class we were able to compare our work to others to see where we stood in terms of talent in the class and (if our peers we honest) they would give us suggestions on how to improve our work. Ch. 9 reminds that one of the biggest things to keep in mind is to give praise first and then criticism. There are both good and bad things about each piece of work. By getting a peer review it highlights what the group accepts as good and bad and leaves room for improvement for the next project.
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