Multimodal literacy in the professional development of bilingual educators

Abstract

This Special Issue examines bilingual educators’ professional development (PD) in multimodal literacy, a crucial yet underexplored dimension of bilingual and multilingual education. Multimodality, the dynamic interplay of language, image, gesture, and sound among other semiotic resources, has become central to meaning-making in contemporary, technology-rich classrooms. As educational communication increasingly spans multiple modes, teachers must develop multimodal literacy to design, facilitate, and assess engaging and inclusive learning experiences. While research has expanded on students’ multiliteracies, less attention has been given to how teachers cultivate these competences through professional learning. This Special Issue includes six empirical studies and a final commentary that collectively address this gap. The contributions approach central issues regarding bilingual teachers’ needs and perceptions regarding their multimodal literacy, the integration of multimodal literacy instruction in bilingual teacher education programmes, how bilingual educators engage in professional learning experiences related to multiliteracies and empirical evidence of the impact of PD programmes on teachers’ changes, specifically focused on multimodal literacy. The concluding commentary synthesises these insights and proposes future directions for advancing multimodal literacy in teacher education and professional practice.