Multi-modal Expression

Question: What is effective multi-modal expression?

Answer: In the pages of my blog, I have several times complained about the models of multi-modal expression in the journals of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)  and the International Reading Association (IRA). These organizations encourage teachers to engage their students in multi-modal expression, but their journals present flawed examples. In my last blog, I reviewed Linda B. Gambrell’s “Seven Rules of Engagement,” about motivation and reading. Contained in the article is an example of flawed multi-modal expression. It contains pictures throughout the article—four of them. They are cute pictures of students reading. BUT THERE ARE NO CAPTIONS explaining their relevance to the ideas in the article. They exist as cute pictures in and of themselves. They do not help to explain the ideas in the article.

Please! Dr., Mr., Ms. and Mrs. NCTE and IRA, if you are going to encourage teachers to teach students how to use multi-modal expression, model it effectively. Captionless pictures add nothing to the expressed ideas in the articles. They have no relevance to the IDEAS in the article. They are simply “cute.” RayS.