Chapter 4. Incorporating mindfulness into multiliteracies pedagogy
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Carl S. Blyth
Abstract
This chapter describes the distinctive state of mind of Mindfulness (also referred to as Contemplation) and argues for its inclusion in Multiliteracies pedagogy (Cope & Kalantzis, 2015). Contemplative literacy practices encourage instructors and learners to focus on the present moment, thereby deepening our understanding of reading and writing as processes. More specifically, the chapter reports on a Multiliteracies-inspired college-level course entitled “Narrating the Multilingual Self” during which L2 learners of French were guided to tell their “multilingual life story” (Edwards, 2019). Based on the premise that learners become the autobiographical narratives they construct about themselves, the course explored the diverse, intersectional experiences of French-speaking multilinguals. Following Barbezat and Bush (2014), contemplative reading and writing activities were employed to heighten the learners’ awareness of their own multilingual subjectivities and identities. In contrast to traditional digital social reading (DSR) assignments, contemplative forms of literacy oblige learners to “slow things down” by annotating, reading aloud and reflecting on the meanings and feelings engendered by texts. Similarly, contemplative digital writing (DSW) activities include freewriting, journaling, and annotating to promote greater self-awareness of meaning-making as a personal, creative act.
Abstract
This chapter describes the distinctive state of mind of Mindfulness (also referred to as Contemplation) and argues for its inclusion in Multiliteracies pedagogy (Cope & Kalantzis, 2015). Contemplative literacy practices encourage instructors and learners to focus on the present moment, thereby deepening our understanding of reading and writing as processes. More specifically, the chapter reports on a Multiliteracies-inspired college-level course entitled “Narrating the Multilingual Self” during which L2 learners of French were guided to tell their “multilingual life story” (Edwards, 2019). Based on the premise that learners become the autobiographical narratives they construct about themselves, the course explored the diverse, intersectional experiences of French-speaking multilinguals. Following Barbezat and Bush (2014), contemplative reading and writing activities were employed to heighten the learners’ awareness of their own multilingual subjectivities and identities. In contrast to traditional digital social reading (DSR) assignments, contemplative forms of literacy oblige learners to “slow things down” by annotating, reading aloud and reflecting on the meanings and feelings engendered by texts. Similarly, contemplative digital writing (DSW) activities include freewriting, journaling, and annotating to promote greater self-awareness of meaning-making as a personal, creative act.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Chapter 1. Introduction 1
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Section I. Focusing on learners
- Chapter 2. Examining graduate students’ positioning identities in collaborative digital annotation tools 22
- Chapter 3. Critical historical literacy in world languages through digital social reading 48
- Chapter 4. Incorporating mindfulness into multiliteracies pedagogy 74
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Section II. Texts, tasks, and teachers
- Chapter 5. Addressing text difficulty in novice L2 digital social reading 104
- Chapter 6. Digital social reading annotations as evidence of L2 proficiency 128
- Chapter 7. Developing digital social reading in source‑based writing 153
- Chapter 8. Conclusion 179
- Index 193
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Chapter 1. Introduction 1
-
Section I. Focusing on learners
- Chapter 2. Examining graduate students’ positioning identities in collaborative digital annotation tools 22
- Chapter 3. Critical historical literacy in world languages through digital social reading 48
- Chapter 4. Incorporating mindfulness into multiliteracies pedagogy 74
-
Section II. Texts, tasks, and teachers
- Chapter 5. Addressing text difficulty in novice L2 digital social reading 104
- Chapter 6. Digital social reading annotations as evidence of L2 proficiency 128
- Chapter 7. Developing digital social reading in source‑based writing 153
- Chapter 8. Conclusion 179
- Index 193
