Multimodal literacy at the university. The ins and outs of educating in English as an additional language

Abstract

There have been a considerable number of studies on multimodality in recent years. Several of them focus on using semiotic modes in English language and English-medium instruction, on the one hand, and the teaching of multimodality, on the other. Interestingly, integrative approaches have also emerged. Multimodal literacy, however, has only been promoted by policymakers in the last few years, and it is still not usual to find specific training to implement it in higher education institutions. This chapter provides a review of the notions of multimodal literacy and multimodal pedagogy in English as an additional language (EAL) in higher education settings. The reader will also find a review of recent contributions to teacher professional development on multimodal literacy and how to make it effective in the EAL university classroom. In this introduction to the edited volume, we also present an overview of the current trends of multimodal literacy in EAL university contexts based on the chapters of the book.