Why Multimodal Literacy Matters: (Re)conceptualizing Literacy and Wellbeing through Singing-Infused Multimodal, Intergenerational Curricula

166 Pages·2016·8.855 MB·English

by  Rachel Heydon, Susan O’Neill (auth.)

Why Multimodal Literacy Matters

Why Multimodal Literacy Matters
(Re)conceptualizing Literacy and Wellbeing through Singing-Infused
Multimodal, Intergenerational Curricula
Rachel Heydon
Western University, Ontario, Canada
and
Susan O’Neill
Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
A C.I.P. record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN: 978-94-6300-706-1 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-94-6300-707-8 (hardback)
ISBN: 978-94-6300-708-5 (e-book)
Published by: Sense Publishers,
P.O. Box 21858,
3001 AW Rotterdam,
The Netherlands
https://www.sensepublishers.com/
All chapters in this book have undergone peer review.
Printed on acid-free paper
All Rights Reserved © 2016 Sense Publishers
No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the
exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and
executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.
For my brother, James M. Heydon and our papa, Dr. Eugene T. Daly.
Singing with the angels (R.H.)
For my mother, Nancy Carney, who inspired many with
her strength and wisdom (S.O.)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword ix
Acknowledgements xi
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
The Point of Departure for Why Multimodal Literacy Matters 2
Wellbeing, Literacy, and Singing: Literature Connections 5
Chapter 2: Intergenerational Multimodal Singing-Infused Curriculum 23
Intergenerational Contact and Intergenerational Programs 23
Foundations for the Curriculum 30
The Study 46
The Scene of the Program 49
Chapter 3: The Curriculum 53
The Lessons 54
Chapter 4: Towards a (Re)conceptualization of Wellbeing through
Singing-Infused Multimodal, Intergenerational Curriculum 119
Affordances and Constraints of the Curriculum 120
Revisiting Wellbeing 134
References 139
Index 151
vii

FOREWORD
This book makes a very special contribution to an under-researched area of multi-
modal literacy studies, dealing as it does with the intersection of intergenerational
learning, well-being, and multimodal literacy education—specifically singing.
The authors position the book firmly in generous and forward looking conceptions
of literacy, and they anchor their research study tellingly in autobiographical material
of their own experiences at different ages. These recollections, interspersed with the
data reported in the book, give a sense of the long histories of learning that we all
accumulate beyond the classroom. They begin to uncover the extent and variety
of roles that music and singing play in the everyday life of people of all ages and
cultures.
This is an ambitious book in several respects, aiming to heal divides that have
scarred literacy education in the past. First, it invites us to broaden our view of what
counts as literacy to include meaning-making through song and the human voice—a
fusion of music and poetry. It is becoming common to consider the visual modes of
literacy education, but the soundscapes of literacy are still largely ignored despite
their prominence in online and everyday communication. We are still mired in the
outdated “great divide” of oral versus written modes of thought, the separation of the
affective from the cognitive, and the individual from the collective. This book takes
us a further step out of this mire.
Second, the authors boldly cross the intergenerational divide, working with groups
at the extremes of this—elders and children in their early-years—who have always
been important to one another through the caregiving practices of grand parenting
and of family and community exchange. The years of compulsory schooling are
bypassed altogether in this research data, but it nevertheless holds implications for
education at all ages.
Third, it takes equally seriously the need to ground this work on an intergenerational
singing curriculum in both theoretical rigour and practical precision. The data are
carefully presented and discussed in relation to literacy and curriculum. Extended
vignettes and lesson plans link practice with research and speak to a wide readership
among researchers, teachers, and curriculum developers. The engaging format and
the photographs serve to bring all the participants vividly to life.
As the authors assert in the first chapter, the use of the human voice for meaning-
making, for carrying emotions, historical narratives, poetry, and other forms of
wisdom has to be among our earliest forms of communication as a species. The
exuberance of song arguably more directly embodies these meanings than any
other mode of communication. Rhyme, rhythm, tone, and pitch are underpinning
features of spoken language itself. Perhaps for this reason singing has a special
role in connecting with and expressing well-being. As the authors conclude: “Our
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