Exploring the opportunities of multimodal literacies for the participation and learning of young people with dyslexia in multimodal digital environments: informing learning design

Abstract

The multimodal literacies co-constructed online represent pervasive learning opportunities that are distant from the principles founding traditional pedagogies. Very little research has considered the potential of multimodal literacies for the participation and learning of special education populations. Considering dyslexia as a learning difference according to the paradigm of neurodiversity, the research addresses this gap through two connected empirical studies which focused on 1) how multimodal affordances of participation in social network sites mediate participation and identity work for dyslexic teens aged 14-16; 2) how the identified visual literacy strengths and opportunities for learning fostered learning goals’ setting and accomplishment. The final aim of the work is to bridge the identified forms of learning developed in informal digital context and formal education, informing design through Design-Based Research. To accomplish this goal, the third study developed a set of learning design principles based on theories and empirical evidence, and it involved secondary school teachers to design learning activities on the basis of the principles.