Multimodal Literacy and Social Interaction: Young Children’s Literacy Learning

Abstract

For young children, literacy is multimodal. Visual images, oral language, gestures, numbers, and other signs are intermingled with printed words during language arts activities in preschool and kindergarten. All children, in particular children from multilingual/multicultural backgrounds, draw on the social, cultural, and emotional roles and structures they observe and experience daily in their homes and communities when presented with multiple modes of literacy in meaningful classroom contexts. This article employs social semiotics as a framework for presenting multimodal literacies used by young children to make and create meaning in their social and learning interactions. Following an overview of multimodal literacy related to children’s literacy learning, topics explored in this article include multimodal literacy activities that embed social interaction, classroom multimodal literacy events that reflect the sociocultural patterns children bring to the classroom, and approaches to implementing a culturally responsive pedagogy in order to make multimodal literacy meaningful to young learners. Classroom examples are provided throughout to illustrate scenarios with teachers who are knowledgeable about multimodal literacy experiences and social interaction, embrace a sociocultural perspective, and are committed to implementing culturally responsive pedagogy.