Second Language Multimodal Literacies (L2ML) Symposium

In recent years, studies of multimodal communication and composition from education, literacy studies, and applied linguistics have fueled intense discussions about the place of non-verbal modes in the historically lingua-centric field of second language teaching and learning. These conversations and the research that supports them have been motivated by innovations in digital technologies, which encourage and enable the ready use of images, videos, and sounds in everyday acts of communication (e.g., Lankshear & Knobel, 2006; Lotherington & Jenson, 2011); but interest in second language multimodal literacies has also found theoretical buttressing in recent work in applied linguistics where language is conceptualized within a broader semiotic repertoire for meaning making (e.g., Busch, 2012; Li, 2017). Increasingly, there is a shared understanding that “In a profound sense, all meaning-making is multimodal” (New London Group, 1996, p. 81). However, there continues to be a need for research on the multimodal practices of multilingual speakers, and for the development of research-based practices for educators to integrate and assess multimodality into their language classes.

Building on the Digital Literacies Project and the associated Second Language Digital Literacies Symposium (L2DL) hosted by the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL), the L2ML symposium will bring together educators, practitioners, and researchers, who share common interests in exploring the role of multimodality in contexts of second or multiple language and culture learning. This free, two-day virtual event will include a series of digital presentations and discussions, including three invited talks by experts in the fields of multimodal language and literacy education. The symposium will culminate in a panel discussion, where participants will consider future directions for multimodal scholarship and pedagogical practice in second language and multilingualism studies.

Invited speakers include:

• Dr. Denise Newfield (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa)
  • Presentation title: Poetry, Performance and Making in Second Language Learning
• Dr. Ana Oskoz (University of Maryland Baltimore County, USA)
  • Presentation title: Second Language Digital Literacies in a Multilingual, Multimodal World
• Dr. Jennifer Rowsell (University of Sheffield, United Kingdom)
  • Presentation title: The Comfort of Screens: Living and Learning with Multiple Languages on Screens