The Application of Multimodality in English Online Classroom

Abstract

This study shares the method of using multimodality in college students’ English online classroom. Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, English teaching site has been turned upside down. Although teachers endeavored to conduct online courses, make online teaching materials and perform online tests, students’ learning gap between class in person and online class still exists. In addition, students nowadays value the richness of visual experience much more than what teachers have accustomed to. Consequently, how to deliver the teaching content in new and more immersive ways is what this study aims to investigate. Multimodal learning suggests that when a number of senses, including visual, auditory, reading and writing, and kinesthetic are being engaged and brought into class, students can be motivated and learn more. Grapin (2018) also advocates that both linguistic and non-linguistic modes should be given equal attention in an effort to develop learners’ communicative competence. Based on the above theory, this study discusses the opportunities and challenges in incorporating multimodality into the English online class. In order to help my students master communicative function of English, I’ve employed three multimodal learning resources, including the online grammar course “BBC learning English”, the comedy TV episode “Operation Mr. Bean”, and the audio book with text “The Lahti File”. As the students commented, when they were in the physical classroom, they often memorized a bunch of English grammar rules but didn't know how to apply them to communicate in real life. However, through the aid of multimodality in the online classroom, they were placed in an English environment and experience the communicative function of using English. This study concludes that with proper instruction and guidance, applying multimodality to enhance online learning can be achieved.

Keywords

multimodality, communicative function, online teaching,