Research Directions in Educational Semiotics

• In Event: Toward Just Educational Renewal Through Educational Semiotics

Abstract

In this final presentation, I highlight the key contributions made by the other presenters in this session and reflect on how the individual work done across learning contexts in educational semiotics have collectively advanced the call of the conference towards just educational renewal. Building on the foundations laid, I discuss the future research directions in educational semiotics in relations to multimodality for learning, multimodality as learning and multimodality in learning (Lim, 2024).

The research direction of multimodality for learning focuses on deepening the understanding of how multimodality can support students’ learning of language and content and strengthening the empirical basis of this work. This line of inquiry delves into how the strategic use of multimodal resources caters to diverse learners, particularly students with high needs, in their language development. Additionally, it encourages research that unpacks the privileged ways in which meaning is constructed multimodally across various disciplines. This builds upon existing knowledge of pedagogical practices for integrating multimodal resources within subject-specific content learning.

The research direction in multimodality as learning focuses on advancing the recognition that literacy is more than just language learning. This involves the development of robust arguments, grounded in empirical evidence, to advocate for policy and curricular reforms that expand the definition of literacy within global educational frameworks. Such reforms should encompass the systematic articulation of knowledge and skills related to multimodal literacy within the curriculum, presented in an age-appropriate manner across primary and secondary education, and adaptable to diverse cultural contexts. Another crucial research direction lies in acknowledging and valuing the multimodal literacy practices students bring from their lived experiences. This aligns with the exploration of promoting multimodal pedagogies, where educators intentionally create opportunities for students' multimodal meaning-making within the classroom.

The research direction in multimodality in learning focuses on building up teachers’ multimodal pedagogies through studies to develop deeper understanding of embodied teaching as well as practice-oriented research in teachers’ professional learning. This objective is pursued through research that deepens our understanding of embodied teaching practices alongside practice-oriented research focused on teacher professional learning. Specifically, further exploration of teachers' embodied teaching offers valuable insights into how multimodal classroom orchestrations can express diverse pedagogical stances, ranging from authoritative to participatory approaches, ultimately shaping students' learning experiences. Furthermore, the field is exploring the potential of multimodal learning analytics and AI within educational settings.

The presentation concludes by inviting participants to respond to these potential research directions as impetus for international collaboration and collective effort amongst researchers in educational semiotics. In so doing, we respond to the call towards just educational renewal, with the commitment to better prepare our students to be designers of their social futures.

Author

• Fei Victor Lim, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University