MULTILITERACIES AND LEARNING: AN ANALYSIS OF AN ENGLISH HIGH SCHOOL TEXTBOOK FOR THE BRAZILIAN CONTEXT

Abstract

This work investigates whether the theory of (multi)literacies and the cycle of knowledge processes underlie the pedagogical design of the English school textbook, XX. We engaged in a documentary analysis to interpret the data from one of its units. Results showed that the cycle of processes underlie the textbook learning activities in an appropriate way. We noticed, however, that it falls short in the choice of the genre for the writing section since it should have proposed a feature article that had been read and studied in the unit and not a flyer whose generic characteristics were unknown by the students at that point.  Concerning the multimodality approach, the layout orchestrates the multimodal resources effectively. The pedagogical design also focuses on the multimodal ensembles of meanings but lacks an emphasis on a metalanguage that could help students understand how and why they are created. Diversity, one of the aspects in the multiliteracies theory, is carefully weaved throughout the unit and focuses on students’ understanding and commitment to the multiple social and cultural differences of the present age.