Mapping Students’ Everyday Multimodal Language Practices in a High Needs School: Final Project Report

The Mapping Students' Everyday Multimodal Language Practices in a High Needs School project was a participatory action research study undertaken with two teachers from a high needs primary school in Western Sydney (Identified in this report by the pseudonym Erehwon Public School). Based on the premise that students' everyday language practices can be a key asset in learning English, this research involved teachers and their students researching the ways they use language in different places and with different people. The knowledge they gained from this research was then applied to their school learning. This participatory action research project involved two classes of students in mapping their everyday multimodal language competencies. The aim of the project was to adapt a collaborative research and pedagogical model developed for use in multi-lingual classrooms (D'warte, 2013; 2014) to the requirements of a low SES, high Aboriginal, and high special needs school. The study investigated ways to work with teachers to identify how and in what ways they could create opportunities for students to reveal the language and literacy skills and experiences they possess, and to incorporate these in enhancing students' expression and engagement in their school learning. The study used creative methods within day to day classes to investigate students everyday multimodal language competencies. This involved students in creating maps (visual and spatial representations) that illustrated their everyday language practices and experiences. These maps were used as a basis for the development of activities to assist English learning. This study was designed to complement and contribute to Erehwon's whole school sustainable model that seeks to build the capacity of students and staff to identify, understand and manage complex and challenging emotions and behaviours at the school. The project was committed to building teacher capacity and disseminating this research to support teachers in building on their students' linguistic knowledge to augment individual students and the whole school's performance in English in order to enhance learning for all students at Erehwon Public School. Curriculum will be developed that can be used in diverse contexts; this curriculum will be linked to the new National English Curriculum outcomes across stages, contributing new understandings that can support teachers and students in the further development of English language and literacy.