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Multimodality and Transmodality in the Classroom
Equity, Time Management, and the Graduate Teaching Assistant
Affordances and Constraints of Multimodality and Transmodality
Affordances and Constraints of Multimodality and Transmodality
Like most initiatives in higher education, there are affordances and constraints when it comes to successfully integrating multimodality and transmodality into the first-year composition classroom. These can include factors outside the classroom, as well as outcomes after students finish their time in first-year composition. Nevertheless, these aspects must be discussed in order to gain a fuller understanding of how we can and should be introducing multimodality and transmodality into the classroom.
Affordances
There are almost too many affordances to name when it comes to implementing multimodal and transmodal texts in the first-year composition classroom. On the basic level, both multimodality and transmodality help move the classroom to a more equitable place that considers students from all backgrounds. Transmodality, in particular, also considers students’ preferences on how they learn. It brings in this idea of convenience and tailoring to each individual student. Transmodal versions of access to a text or artifact can also allow students to consider their preferences. This means that if the student had read a text over a long weekend, but by the time they were walking to class the following week, forgot what they had read, or simply wanted a refresher, they would be able to take a look at something like an infographic that condenses all of the highlights into a quick read. This means that transmodality is used to consider how students learn best and makes it convenient for refreshers and possibly even cramming for an exam right before it.
When it comes to multimodality, Erica Frisicaro-Pawlowski and Robert Monge argue that one of the most overlooked affordances of utilizing multimodality in the first-year composition classroom is that students can become literate in more ways. They argue that one of the best things that can come out of a multimodal first-year composition classroom is visual and digital literacy (Frisicaro-Pawlowski and Monge). In an increasingly digitized world, having students think critically about what they are seeing online and what they are creating online is a key part of their college-level education that never had to be thought of before. This is also a transferable skill for students who will not be pursuing a degree in the humanities, but for students in STEM, identifying different parts of an image or series of images may come in handy when it comes to their particular field.
Constraints
No educational system can be perfect; there will always be some way to tinker with, improve, and make it more equitable for students and instructors. In many ways, introducing multimodal texts into college classrooms is already being done. The ease of the internet has made this transition fairly seamless, but incorporating multimodality into student work is where the true uphill battle begins. Some students will take to a multimodal project easily and would be thrilled to remix a paper or an idea. However, some students do their best work in the form of a paper, and creating something like a video or podcast just is not something they would be good at or enjoy making.
The opposite is true for transmodality. When there are transmodal texts, much of the stress comes off the students and is instead placed solely on the instructor. The students reap the benefits of their instructors’ spending time finding good and equitable artifacts for them to use. Because transmodality is still not widely practiced, it is hard to find transmodal texts that would fit the mold of a first-year composition classroom. As Bruce Horner, Cynthia Selfe, and Tim Lockridge point out, the instructor of these transmodal texts also has to be literate in these modes. “The failure to acknowledge the inevitable labor involved in any working with language and modality, and belief in the chimera of ‘native-like’ fluency with these [texts], produces an oppositional resistance to what would otherwise be a productive engagement…” (Horner et al.). This inequitable amount of labor on the instructor’s part could lead to burnout or other harmful mental health issues.
I recognize that Graduate Teaching Assistants often struggle with finances, time, and other responsibilities, so adding another layer to their teaching load may not be feasible. Because of this, I encourage writing studies instructors to share their resources and lesson plans, especially when they take a multimodal and/or transmodal approach. Running short seminars to teach others about the literacy required of some transmodal texts would go a long way, even if just for an hour. These sessions could be developed by either full-time faculty as a way of aiding Graduate Teaching Assistants or by the Graduate Teaching Assistants themselves. While this would likely rely on volunteer work, universities should sponsor these Graduate Teaching Assistants, and they should be encouraged to include such sessions on their CVs, or even complete them for credit. Additionally, including multimodal and transmodal ideas in the training that Graduate Teaching Assistants receive instills these ideas from the beginning and means that it is more likely they will be adopted by first-year composition instructors.