1. Multiliteracies in the Special Education
Setting
Presented by
Rhonda Betts
For EDX3270 - Literacies Education
Assignment 1
By PresenterMedia.com

2. •Agenda
First 10 Annotations of articles based on Multiliteracies
Session
Little Small snack
Lunch
Middle Overview/Synthesis
session
Big Lunch Midday meal followed by free play
Last Self Reflection on ICT learning
session

3. •Response to Intervention: A Socio-cultural
Perspective of the Problems and the Possibilities
Constance C. Beecher
• This article draws on the findings of the New London Group
(2000) to justify why and how the response to intervention
requires further examination to ensure that inequalities are not
experienced in special and general education settings. Beecher
states that “learning to read is not simply a matter of
developing the required skills”, and promotes the findings of the
New London Group that teacher’s should view literacy learning
as “personally and socially meaningful problem solving
activities”, Beecher further supports the New London Group’s
findings that traditional literacy teaching methods must take on
the role of multiliteracies in a technologically based society.

4. •"Multiliteracies": New Literacies, New Learning
Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis
• This paper examines the changing face of literacy teaching and
learning across the curriculum. Cope and Kalantzis draw on the
issues put forward by the New London Group regarding the
need for dramatic change to occur in the classroom context to
keep up with the ever changing technological advances of the
current time. New social practices and ways of working in the
new era of ever changing technological advancements
ultimately must overflow into the classroom to enable students
to acquire the tools they need to be literate and functional in
the future. This carries over to the special needs setting as well
as the general classroom setting.

5. •Recognising Difference, One of the Challenges of
using a multiliteracies approach?
Robyn Henderson
• Henderson’s article pinpoints an important issue when
considering the use of multiliteracies, or any subject for that
matter, diversity. Henderson argues of the importance of
looking at what students can do, rather than what they may
struggle with. Student strengths are the starting point for
successful learning, however it takes an expert teacher to be
able to identify the diversity of the classroom and recognise
each student’s strengths. In the special education setting every
lesson is focusing on the student’s strengths and ability rather
than the disability. Incorporating situated practice as
recommended by the New London Group (1996), Henderson
has stated that students can then be immersed in a range of
classroom practices facilitated and scaffolded by the teacher.

6. •Response to Intervention: New Ways and Wariness
Christina E. van Kraayenoord
• This article begins by reviewing Evidence-Based Reading
Practices for Response to Intervention: Diane Haager, Janette K.
Klingner, and Sharon Vaughn (Eds.). (2007), which concentrates
on literacy practices based on reading skill. In the section titled
Privileging Reading (p7), multiliteracies are mentioned as being
lacking in the book. Kraayenoord argues that proficient use of
multiliteracies can enable students with learning difficulties (LD)
to cope with and avoid further difficulties. Kraayenoord takes on
the perspective that the use of any singular teaching approach
with any student, including students with LD, because of their
diverse characteristics, could prove detrimental to future
learning outcomes. A broad outlook of literacy must also include
the exploitation of wide and varied instructional practices

7. •The effectiveness of assistive technologies for
children with special needs: a review of research-
based studies
Dorit Maor, Jan Currie & Rachel Drewry
• The authors state that with rapidly changing technologies it is
difficult to keep up with assistive technology for the promotion
of communication, reading, spelling and writing within the
special needs sector and highlight the lack of empirical research
studies in the area of Assistive Technologies intervention.
Assistive technologies are tools that allow a compensatory value
to students with special needs to enable them to participate
more fully in the area of literacy and multiliteracies, and the
authors advocate the advancement in the area of Web 2.0 tools
can only provide greater benefits.

8. •‘Diving into Reading’: Revisiting Reciprocal Teaching
in the Middle Years
Kylie Meyer
• In this paper, Meyer highlights the benefits of reciprocal
teaching systems. This approach is a system that builds the
capacity of teaching reading to students aimed at their
individual learning needs. Meyer states that the system will
support learners within the context of a collaborative
community of learners, to enable them to be active participants
in their own literacy learning. By using multi-strategic
instruction, teachers can scaffold learning across all literacy
levels with direct instruction, modeling and guided instruction.
Meyer suggests that by asking students to be co-contributors in
their learning and having students explain their way of thinking
before, after and during reading, provides the teacher with
insights to the student’s use of strategies.

9. •Multiliteracies in Torres Strait: A Mabuiag Island
State School diabetes project
Barry Osborne and Eric Wilson
• The New Basics and Rich Tasks were an innovative of the State
Government in Queensland which linked learning to life outside
school. In this article Osborne and Wilson compare many facets
of the New Basics to the productive pedagogies where students
can demonstrate their learning through the Rich Tasks. The New
Basics offered an “uncluttered” curriculum alternative for
schools that fell within the catchment. The article covers the
area of multiliteracies by suggesting that the New Basics was
able to provide realistic and holistic tasks for students that
benefit their learning and future life.

10. •Emergent literacy activities, instructional adaptations
and school absence of children with cerebral palsy in
special education.
Marieke Peeters, Jan de Moor & Ludo Verhoeven
• This article emphasizes the role of computers in the promotion of literacy
and the authors state that research and documentation in the area of
special needs have been proven by listing multiple sources. The authors
argue that literate behaviors and skills can be enhanced to avoid later
literacy failure. The studies mentioned in this paper advocate the need
for early intervention with the curriculum and classroom activities to
promote multiliterate skills. Students with special needs have many
obstacles to conquer besides the normal constraints of the
curriculum, including school absences due to extended illness, doctor or
specialist appointments and other physical or intellectual impairments.
The adaptations to instructional activities all need to be related to the
levels of emergent literacy skills and speech and impairment of every
individual.

11. •Through the Eyes of the Institution: A Critical Discourse
Analysis of Decision Making in Two Special Education
Meetings
Rebecca Rogers
• This article brings into light some of the issues faced by students
with special needs when learning literacy. Rogers argues that
practices in the current system of literacy learning are the most
important function of social relations and communication for
students with special needs. The article draws on multiple
sources including the work of the New London Group (2000)
and refers to the use of situated practice and linking learning to
real life functions. This article was based on the research with
one individual (Vicki), and her progress with her disability and
educational instructional discourses. The study was carried out
over two years and sets the groundwork for many more
longitudinal studies in this area.

12. •Teachers' Perspectives on Literacy Instruction for
Students with Severe Disabilities Who Use Augmentative
and Alternative Communication
Andrea L. Ruppar, Stacy K. Dymond, & Janet S. Gaffney
• In this paper the authors state that the lack of ability to access
communication (written and verbal) decreases independence within all parts
of the community, more so those with impairment as the resources for
communication often rely on the ability to use augmentative and alternative
communication. Literacy instruction within the curriculum for students with
special needs can enhance their ability to function independently in society
by incorporating the needs of students to learn important functional skills
while still engaging in the curriculum that is used in general education
classes. The paper argues that students who use AAC, literacy can take on
heightened importance where the students require the ability to interpret
language through symbols and symbolic language, and then translate those
symbols into expressive communication.

13. Time for little lunch!

14. •Overview/Synthesis
The special education resources section of the
national curriculum is yet to be finalised and
released (ACARA, 2012). Special education
teachers have been advised to use the national
curriculum as it stands and make modifications
to suit the context (The Australian Curriculum,
2012). ACARA (2012), believes that all Australian
students regardless of cultural background or
impairment have a right to access the same
learning opportunities in the classroom across all
educational settings (The Australian Curriculum,
2012).

15. The above annotations were chosen to highlight the fact that all
students are indeed entitled to quality educational benefits
regardless of disability. The techniques that special educators
use to ensure students with impairment gain access to a
“strengths based perspective” of themselves include IEP’s and
extensive planning and collegial collaboration (Nevin, Smith, &
McNeil, 2008). Special education teachers bring their own
knowledge and experience into the special needs classroom
which is a typical feature of the “Freire-type” of education that
can expand on interaction and learning for each student (Freire
Institute, 2012). In the late twentieth century Paulo Freire has
been cited as one of the most influential thinkers on the topic of
education (Hudalla, 2005).

16. Special Education has a place in education
(Hocutt, 1996). With the push towards
inclusion and mainstreaming there will always
still be a place for special education within the
school system. Students with impairment also
still have the right of access to an education
that offers the same opportunities as the
general education curriculum (The Australian
Special Education Principals’ Association. N.D.).
Furthermore, students in special education
classrooms also have the right to expect
accommodations that consider the diversity of
individual student needs.

17. Multiliteracies have been practiced in the special education
setting for a long time; however the need to extend the use of
“gadgets” into real world applications is something that teachers
in the special education sector really need to consider
(Cormack, 1997a as cited in The Australian Special Education
Principals’ Association. N.D.).
Multiliteracies pedagogy recognises the multimodal means of
interpretation and communication by extending literacy
education beyond traditional practices (New London
Group, 1996 as cited in Ntelioglou, 2011). Situated practice (New
London Group, 1996) involves providing innovative learning
environments that provide opportunity for students to engage in
meaningful educational experiences, making use of prior
knowledge and life skill (Ntelioglou, 2011).

18. Multiliteracies pedagogy accepts that all experiences are fundamentally
represented in a multimodal means and stresses the need for
education in language and literacy to take on the responsibility of
creating meaning in the classroom to everyday life (Cope &
Kalantzis, 2009). The New London Group (1996) argue that meaning
within communication is made up of multiple modes, including:
• Written language
• Oral language
• Visual representation
• Audio representation
• Tactile representation
• Gestural representation and,
• Spatial representation.

19. A multiliteracies perspective that is inclusive
of multimodal education is comparable to
the nature of language used every day
(Everett, 2006). Literacy has changed from
the ability of writing names, to the
capability of reading and writing, through
to include the arts (Everett, 2006). Literacy
in the sense is now seen in the plural
“multiliteracies” that it is used in
multifaceted ways to include, computer
literacy, mathematical literacy, print
literacy, critical literacy, emotional literacy,
functional literacy, the list could be endless
(Everett, 2006).

20. •Big Lunch

21. •Self Reflection on ICT learning
After recently completing EDX3100 ICT and pedagogy I
felt quite confident in completing the ICT component
of this assignment. The problem I faced was going
through all the web 2.0 tools and finding the one I
wanted to use that would do what I hoped to achieve
with the presentation.
I decided to do my presentation in PowerPoint and
convert it to an online slideshow through slideshare
because I knew it could be embedded into Mahara and
directly onto my ePortfolio.

22. The fun part was finding an exciting template to use that
reflected the tone I wanted to set for the presentation.
The templates provided in PowerPoint I found quite
dull and boring, so I set myself the task of finding
something a little more eye catching. I wanted
something that was visible as an online resource that
held the audience eye long enough to draw them in.
When designing multimodal tasks in the classroom I
will look for the same type of thing. I feel like the
students need colour and excitement in the
background to spark that initial interest and then to
maintain the interest the presentation needs to have
little breaks to allow students time to regroup thinking.
This is why I set the presentation out with a recess and
lunch break. While this presentation is not aimed at a
primary classroom audience, I wanted it to reflect the
type of presentation I would use in a primary
classroom setting.

23. I was happy to have the opportunity to provide the
multimodal aspect of this assignment as I really do not
like using templates to complete my assignments.
While I understand the ease a template provides for
marking, it does not allow me to add my own style and
show my personality.

24. •References
ACARA. (2012). The Australian Curriculum. Retrieved 24 July 2012, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
Beecher, C.C. (2010).Response to Intervention: A Socio-cultural Perspective of the Problems and the Possibilities. Journal of Education.
191(3). pp. 1-8
Cope, B. & Kalantzis, M. (2009). Multiliteracies: new literacies, new learning. Pedagogies: An International Journal 4(3). pp. 164-195
Everett, T.E. (2006). Multiliteracies in early childhood education: the modes and media of communication by first grade students.
Retrieved 30 July 2012, from http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1276&context=etd
Freire Institute. (2012). Education, Conscientization and a Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Retrieved 24 July 2012, from
http://www.freire.org/paulo-freire/
Henderson, R. (2004). Recognising Difference, One of the Challenges of using a multiliteracies approach?. Practically Primary. 9(2). pp.
11-14
Hocutt, A.M. (1996). Effectiveness of Special Education: Is Placement the Critical Factor?. The Future of Children: Special Education for
Students with Disabilities. 6(1). pp 77-102.
Hudalla, J. (2005). Transforming My Curriculum, Transforming My Classroom: Paulo Freire, James Banks, and Social Justice in a Middle
School Classroom. Published by EdChange and the Multicultural Pavilion – http://www.EdChange.org/multicultural Retrieved 24 July
2012, from http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/hudalla.pdf
Kraayenoord, C.E. (2010). Response to Intervention: New Ways and Wariness. Reading Research Quarterly. 45(3). pp. 363-376
Maor, D., Currie. J. & Drewry, R. (2011). The effectiveness of assistive technologies for children with special needs: a review of research-
based studies. European Journal of Special Needs Education. 26(3). pp. 283-298.

25. •References
Meyer, K. (2010). ‘Diving into Reading’: Revisiting Reciprocal Teaching in the Middle Years. Literacy Learning: the Middle Years. 18(1). pp.
41-52
Nevin, M., Smith, R.M. & McNeil, M. (2008). Shifting Attitudes of Related Service Providers: A Disability Studies & Critical Pedagogy
Approach. International Journal of Whole Schooling. 4(1).
New London Group. (1996). pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review. 66. pp. 60-92.
Ntelioglou, B.Y. (2011). ‘But why do I have to take this class?’ The mandatory drama-ESL class and multiliteracies pedagogy. The Journal
of Applied Theatre and Performance. 16(4). pp. 595-615
Osborne, B. & Wilson, E. (2003). Multiliteracies in Torres Strait: A Mabuiag Island State School diabetes project. Australian Journal of
Language and Literacy. 26(1). pp. 23-38
Peeters, M., de Moor, J & Verhoeven, L. (2011). Emergent literacy activities, instructional adaptations and school absence of children
with cerebral palsy in special education. Research in Developmental Disabilities. 32. pp. 659-668
Rogers, R. (2002). Through the Eyes of the Institution: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Decision Making in Two Special Education
Meetings. Anthropology & Education Quarterly 33(2). pp. 213-237.
Ruppar, A.L., Dymond, S.K. & Gaffney, J.S. (2011). Teachers' Perspectives on Literacy Instruction for Students with Severe Disabilities
Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Research & Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities. 36(3-4), pp. 100-111
The Australian Curriculum. (2012). Student Diversity. Retrieved 24 July 2012, from
http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Student+Diversity+Information+Sheet1.pdf
The Australian Special Education Principals’ Association. (N.D). Position Papers. Retrieved 24 July 2012, from
http://www.asepa.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=16&Itemid=129