Author:
Personal Reflection on Multimodality Literacies and Realistic Assessment
With the rapid globalization and glocalization of the whole world, more and more individuals come to North America from a variety of differentiated culture backgrounds. Therefore, we construct our identity, literacy, and education socially (Hazard, 2019).
First, our identity is socially constructed. When coming to North America, especially those who are extremely vulnerable, coming from a country with low development index, we are trying our best to adjust ourselves to emerge into a wealthier and multicultural country both economically and psychologically. In this facet, our identity is reconstructed by the environment and society.
Second, our literacy and education are socially constructed. Compared with the traditional written words’ literacy, we now have converted to a multimodality and a variety of skills, like digital literacy and social media literacy due to the fast technological development (Hazard, 2019). As a result, the situated education is moved forward with the society’s step. Now we have more kinds of education, such as personalized learning and student-centered learning (Stabback, 2016).
To keep pace with the rapid development, the teaching should be learner-centered, and the teachers are supposed to give instruction and assessment based on the background, prior knowledge, needs, current stage of development and potential of each learner (Staback, 2016). For example, in our class, some students are good at writing and others are especially good at speaking. So, if we are required to submit the assignment, we could consider the audio or video forms.
Hattie emphasizes the teachers should answer three questions when they give feedback to students’ assignment “Where am I going? How am I going? Where to next?”(Hattie, 2003, p.2). I think the purpose of the assessment should reflect the students’ critical thinking and self-reflection and the forms of the assessment should be project based.
References:
Hattie, J. (2003). Formative and summative interpretations of assessment information. Retrieved September, 28, 2011. https://assessment.tki.org.nz/Media/Files/DEF-files/Formative-and-Summative-Interpretations-of-Assessment-Information
Hazard, R. (2019). Supporting 21st century skills in language and literacy classrooms with a multiliteracies approach. European Conference on Language Learning at: University College London. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346187182
Stabback, P. (2016). What Makes a Quality Curriculum? In-Progress Reflection No. 2 on” Current and Critical Issues in Curriculum and Learning”. UNESCO International Bureau of Education. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000243975
Hi Sophia,
Your post is an excellent reflection on how society impacts identity, literacy, and education, especially for people from diverse cultural backgrounds. I agree with your comment that education in today’s world has to be more personalized to respond to the needs of each learner. It is likewise true that cultivating digital and social media literacy is necessary in the contemporary world, where students have so many other options for communication and learning. But it would be interesting to think about the ways in which these changes in education sometimes result in issues, especially for less tech-savvy or newly informed students. Also, your proposal for assignment submission through different formats, like video or audio, is a great way of meeting diverse learners
Hi Sophia,
I really appreciate your insight into how identity, literacy, and education are shaped by social factors, especially for individuals coming from diverse cultural backgrounds. Your point about adapting education to the rapid advancements in technology, like digital and social media literacy, is quite relevant.
I also liked your suggestion about offering assignment submissions in various formats, such as audio or video, to cater to students’ strengths. This is a great way to ensure that inclusion is in place, and students can express themselves in ways that best suit their abilities, whether that’s through writing, speaking, or another medium.
One small suggestion might be to touch on how these formats can also support students in building critical thinking and reflection skills, as this format might require students to engage with the content in different ways.
Overall, great job.