Talking Drawings: A Multimodal Pathway for Demonstrating Learning

• Published in: The Reading teacher Vol. 74; no. 4; pp. 407 - 418
• Main Authors: Cappello, Marva, Walker, Nancy T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Newark Wiley 01.01.2021; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: 2-Childhood; and materials; Comprehension; Digital literacy; Digital/media literacies; Discourse strategies; Domain knowledge < Content literacy; Elementary School Students; English Language Learners; Freehand Drawing; Imagery; Instructional strategies; Instructional strategies; methods and materials; Learning; Literacy Education; Metacognition < Comprehension; Metacognitive strategies < Strategies; methods; Multimedia Instruction; Multimedia Materials; Multimodality; New literacies < Digital/media literacies; Prior knowledge < Comprehension; Prior Learning; Qualitative < Research methodology; Reading comprehension; Reflection; Teaching Methods; teaching strategies < Strategies; Visual literacy < Digital/media literacies; visualizing < Comprehension
• ISSN: 0034-0561; 1936-2714
• DOI: 10.1002/trtr.1952

Expanding definitions of literacy requires classroom instruction that provides multiple pathways for students to demonstrate their understanding of the content and communicate knowledge. Privileging the use of visual and multimodal texts as valued school communication may create equitable practices for students who are new to English or struggle with literacy for a variety of reasons. The authors explore the roles that the Talking Drawings strategy played in supporting students’ content and literacy learning and in their ability to reflect on their new understandings. In seven upper elementary classrooms, students drew pictures before and after focused instruction about a topic and added written reflections about the differences between the two drawings. The results of this study demonstrate how Talking Drawings provided a multimodal pathway for students to access the curriculum, communicate new content knowledge, redirect their content misconceptions, and reflect on their learning.