Collaborative Literary Adaptation: A Pedagogical and Design Framework for Making and 21st Century Multiliteracy Learning

• In Event: Learning From Arts-Centered Communities: Possibilities for Educational Justice and Organizational Transformation

Abstract

The biological and life sciences have long claimed the concept of “adaptation” as fundamental and essential to their disciplines, and indeed to our very existence as a species. Similarly, this paper considers the future potential of centering “adaptation” in 21st century teaching and learning, particularly in terms of ‘making’ and multiliteracies. For instance, as a pedagogical and design framework, the process of literary adaptation affords many opportunities for artistic and embodied practice, especially when conducted collaboratively, working across textual modes (e.g. from print to stage or screen), and culminating in creative production. An underutilized tool in arts and humanities curriculum and instruction, collaborative literary adaptation may provide “a new critical idiom” for substantiating and bolstering different types of teaching and learning in these disciplines, where increased accountability measures and decreased funding have put pressure on academic departments to demonstrate their impact, value and relevance in education (Sanders, 2016).
The paper will examine many of the educational theories supporting the need for collaborative literary adaptation in depth, and how it optimizes skill building to engage students on cognitive, social-cultural, and socio-emotional levels. For example, adapting literature offers a powerful, arts-based learning platform for ‘making’ and multiliteracy learning firmly rooted in the educational theory of ‘constructionism,’ which places embodied, production-based experiences at the core of how people learn (Harel & Papert, 1991). It also furthers Scardamalia & Bereiter’s theoretical notion of “collaborative knowledge building” (CKB), not to mention highlighting skills such as all 4C’s from the Partnership for 21st Century Learning: critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration (2006, Partnership) .
Transforming a story from one semiotic mode to another for public performance requires countless negotiations between stakeholders regarding interpretive choices and abstractions, a “re-engineering” of symbolic materials resulting in a final product. This act of ‘playing with meanings’ across different modalities emphasizes design thinking as a skill, furthering R.K. Sawyer’s call to “educate for innovation” in the new knowledge economy (Gee, 2016; 2006). Literary adaptation also restores student agency and subjectivity on two levels: (1) it enables them to operate as active producers instead of passive consumers of literature and culture, and (2) it grants them the chance to explore the fluidity of identity and meaning through rewriting textual histories of canonical works, re-presenting their lived experiences through personal understandings and interpretations of texts (also increasing motivation), or to script imaginary social futures (NLG, 1996). Indeed, the entire literary adaptation process seamlessly maps directly onto the New London Group’s multiliteracy design framework.
This series of steps employs multiple literacy design grammars, or “metalanguages that describe and explain patterns of meaning” as outlined by the NLG, including: linguistic, visual, audio, gestural, spatial and multimodal (1996). Finally, this process weaves an “intertextual chain” between hypo- and hypertexts, effectively creating a learning trail for assessment purposes, such as justifying certain representational choices (how, where and why) and decision-making (Kristeva, 1980; Hutcheon, 2013; NLG, 1996).
Time permitting, the presentation will culminate with a brief example of collaborative literary adaptation at work, demonstrating theory in practice.

Author

• Nathan T. Wheeler, University of Wisconsin - Madison