Friday, January 30, 2009
Meaning Potentials of the Spider Lily
Apart from the usual denotational significance that the spider lily entails, I would like to offer the meaning potential that I derived from the photograph and the context.Salience
------------------------------------------
- As spider lilies grow in clusters, I would interpret them as people in my community. Like the cluster of spider lilies, we live together in a cluster/community (whether we like it or not). Everyone of us are biologically similar and equal, except for some physical differences that exists between us.
- The photograph was cut off at the bottom of the cluster, where each individual flower meets at a joint. This is interpreted by me that similar to the spider lilies, each individual human in the community stems from a common starting point, which links to my previous point.
- The spider lily, being nature's product, seems to signify the naturalness of living and interacting in a community. This can be linked to the social aspect of humans that makes our community an essential part of our everyday life. Without this community, we may cease to exist. This leads to my next point about the few flowers near the bottom of the photograph that had wilted.
- From my point of view, the wilted flowers suggest the stages of life that all humans will have to go through--> Birth and death. It also suggests that we are born into a community and even when we die, the community do not cease to exist. The community will only be wiped out when the last living person in the group leaves/dies.
- The spider lilies have long stamens stretching high up above the flower to ensure successful pollination. The spider lilies' attempts to reach out to the pollinators (Eg. bees, butterflies, wind etc.) Relative to humans, it shows that in order for successful interaction to take place, we have to try to reach out to others.
------------------------------------------
Connotations
Metaphor
White lilies in general have some common connotations of purity, innocence and peacefulness etc. due to the colour of the flower. The colour white has long been stereotypically associated with such positive traits due to the dominance of the Anglos and the subjugation of the African Americans in the past. As a result, phrases such as "lily-white skin" came about as a form of compliment.
I am sure many of us are more than aware of the positive traits that the colour white connotes, which is why I will try to list some of the negative ones here:
- Pale, Illness, Fear, Shock - "White as a sheet"
- Cowardice - "Lily-livered"
- Lastly, here's something that many of us may be familiar with, "White elephant" (Used to describe Bukit Panjang LRT as expensive but useless).
Metaphor
The metaphor that I came up with is "Treat humans as you would treat a lily".
In my opinion, lilies are very precious and at the same time, frail (due to the thin stems and petals). Therefore, I am comparing the human life to the life of lilies. Both needs people to love, care, respect and nurture in order to blossom. The triggers for this metaphor comes from reading the countless reports of abuse and violence among humans that is becoming rampant nowadays. Such behaviours totally disgust me...------------------------------------------
To end off, the meaning potentials raised here are based on my own background knowledge, research and cultural influence. Another reader looking at the picture may have a totally different interpretation from me. This shows how the meaning of a simple flower can be inflected differently by different participants in different social and cultural contexts.
To end off, the meaning potentials raised here are based on my own background knowledge, research and cultural influence. Another reader looking at the picture may have a totally different interpretation from me. This shows how the meaning of a simple flower can be inflected differently by different participants in different social and cultural contexts.
Labels: Theo van Leeuwen's Social Semiotics
8:34 AM
In the course of mentioning semiotic change, two key principles of semiotic innovation came up,
- Metaphors
- Connotation
The nature of these two concepts contributes to the innovation of semiotic resources and thus allowing new ways of using semiotic resources to be developed. Let us lnow take a ook at how they function...
Metaphors:
The idea of metaphors is that a word is transferred from one meaning to another on the basis of a partial similarity between the two meanings. The figure below shows how we can transfer the word, 'teacher' into another domain, 'gardener'.
Here's a comic strip that makes use of metaphors for your enjoyment =)
Lastly, metaphors allow us to make use of the direct, concrete experiences (experiential basis) that we are familiar with to comprehend other more abstract ideas, values or practices. In the process, new aspects will be highlighted while others will be obscured. Just like in the comic, the physical aspects of the boy on the left was highlighted (Eg. looks like a clown) while the characteristic of the boy on the right was highlighted. (Eg. very evil)
Connotation:
Connotation is usually associated with the concept of denotation. The latter refers to simply the 'dictionary' meaning of words that is shared by speakers of a particular language. The former is a subjective and variable meaning that people associate with a particular word.
The subjectivity of the connotations may vary across cultures, languages, countries etc. However sometimes, connotations can be embodied in our everyday reality that people recognises them as the reality. A very good example of such connotation of words is shown in the movie, "Malcolm X", where the definitions of the words 'black' and 'white' are largely based on the ideas and values of the dominant group (the Whites).
The idea of metaphors is that a word is transferred from one meaning to another on the basis of a partial similarity between the two meanings. The figure below shows how we can transfer the word, 'teacher' into another domain, 'gardener'.
Here's a comic strip that makes use of metaphors for your enjoyment =)
Lastly, metaphors allow us to make use of the direct, concrete experiences (experiential basis) that we are familiar with to comprehend other more abstract ideas, values or practices. In the process, new aspects will be highlighted while others will be obscured. Just like in the comic, the physical aspects of the boy on the left was highlighted (Eg. looks like a clown) while the characteristic of the boy on the right was highlighted. (Eg. very evil)
Connotation:
Connotation is usually associated with the concept of denotation. The latter refers to simply the 'dictionary' meaning of words that is shared by speakers of a particular language. The former is a subjective and variable meaning that people associate with a particular word.
The subjectivity of the connotations may vary across cultures, languages, countries etc. However sometimes, connotations can be embodied in our everyday reality that people recognises them as the reality. A very good example of such connotation of words is shown in the movie, "Malcolm X", where the definitions of the words 'black' and 'white' are largely based on the ideas and values of the dominant group (the Whites).
Negative connotations lurk in our everyday lives and even in our favourite Disney movies as can be seen from this website where they pointed out the 9 most racist Disney characters. These characters are a reflection of the common (negative) connotations that people have of the various groups. Therefore, it is necessary for us to critically understand and interpret what is communicated to us from the text and images that we interact with.
To end off, here's another comic strip about semiotics to brighten up your day!
To end off, here's another comic strip about semiotics to brighten up your day!
7:29 AM
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Social Semiotics:
- A form of enquiry for investigating the way people uses semiotic resources in social and cultural contexts
- Explains the meaning making process as a social practice
In the example given by the author, framing is used as the semiotic resource in various social contexts like magazine advertisements, seating layout in schools and office buildings. All these different contexts make use of the same meaning potential of framing, which is to:
1) disconnect elements to show that it is separate and independent
OR
2) connect elements to show belonging together as continuous or complementary
However, people in different contexts make different choices from the same overall semiotic potential, which then yields different meanings.
Semiotic system provides us an array of resources for meaning making to happen. Therefore social semiotics will explain why we choose a particular resource over another.
For example, Chinese prefers to wear Red instead of Black colour clothings on Chinese New Year. From a social semiotics point of view, we can see that in the Chinese community's social semiotic believes that the colour Red is auspicious and brings prosperity.
Really auspicious, isn't it? =)
How then is social semiotics related to multimodality?
Social semiotics has extended beyond its traditional focus on linguistics to accommodate the multiplicity of the new modes of communications such as verbal, visual and aural etc. To adapt to the multimodality of the new-age communications, new 'resources' have been created for meaning making in other semiotic modes of communications.
Labels: Theo van Leeuwen's Social Semiotics Article Response
7:15 PM
Sunday, January 25, 2009
The question "What is literacy?" crossed my mind just like many others on my first encounter with the word. My consultation of the dictionary gave me the following definition:
lit‧e‧ra‧cy
[uncountable]
[uncountable]And so, my definition of literacy has always been simply to know how to read and write until recently when I embarked on this module of multiliteracy. After reading Sylvia Scribner's article on "Literacy in Three Metaphor", I agree with her that "literacy" is something that cannot have a single, universal definition and any attempt to define it will definitely evoke disagreements from others. Being able to read and write is "a means to an end and not an end within themselves." Therefore as teachers, we should allow the new 'literacy' to act as a tool to enable our students to carry out effective communication of information.
So what exactly is "literacy"?
Due to the tricky nature of the word, Scribner did not choose to define the word but instead, she opted to provide certain parameters that are important in assessing what defines literacy for different people in this modern society due to differing views about the social purposes and values of literacy.
3 metaphorical analysis have been done by Scribner in an effort to suggest some current views of the meanings of literacy and the underlying assumptions that each metaphor has on the social facts of the society.
Literacy as Adaptation
This metaphor suggests that literacy is needed for functional reasons like performing everyday tasks. Such an analysis of literacy suggests it to be a necessity to the lives of people and a lack of literacy would mean that people will not be able to function in their community or society.
Literacy as a State of Grace
A literate person tends to be associated with positive traits and is able to engage in higher order thinking and learning. More importantly, literacy will have a self-enhancing effect on the individuals that aids in developing their minds. Similar to the previous metaphor, there is a great divide between the literates and the illiterates.
What can we take away from Scribner's views on "literacy"?
Literacy:
We should learn to accept the multifarious nature of literacy in order to adapt to the diversity of this changing society, allow our students to be socially empowered by the knowledge that literacy brings and open them up for self-enhancements in their journeys to getting literate.
So what exactly is "literacy"?
Due to the tricky nature of the word, Scribner did not choose to define the word but instead, she opted to provide certain parameters that are important in assessing what defines literacy for different people in this modern society due to differing views about the social purposes and values of literacy.
3 metaphorical analysis have been done by Scribner in an effort to suggest some current views of the meanings of literacy and the underlying assumptions that each metaphor has on the social facts of the society.
Literacy as Adaptation
This metaphor suggests that literacy is needed for functional reasons like performing everyday tasks. Such an analysis of literacy suggests it to be a necessity to the lives of people and a lack of literacy would mean that people will not be able to function in their community or society.
With reference to Singapore's context, this metaphor seems to echo our government's national ideology --> National survival, which is why the Compulsory Education Act was passed in 2000 to make sure that Singaporeans have a minimum primary education to handle the basic functions in their future school and work life. The adaptation function can be seen from MOE's Intermediate Outcomes of Education (Primary), "be able to think for and express themselves".
However, one will have to note that this functional approach is probably not the best definition as "the standards of functional competency will definitely change with time" and these standards will need to be considered with respect to tomorrow's requirements, not today.
Literacy as Power
With the changing needs of the people, the Singapore government shifted its focus to more pragmatic approaches --> literacy as an economic resource, such that the educated population can ensure the prosperity and survival of Singapore. This suggests that only the literate people will be able to wield power and advance in the society.
This is illustrated in MOE's Intermediate Outcomes of Education, which shows a steady progression in the expectations of students, from "love Singapore" (Primary Schools) to "understand what it takes to lead Singapore" (Junior College). With reference to today's context, the ability to understand the language of technology is an important prerequisite to succeeding in the work life.
However, one will have to note that this functional approach is probably not the best definition as "the standards of functional competency will definitely change with time" and these standards will need to be considered with respect to tomorrow's requirements, not today.
Literacy as Power
With the changing needs of the people, the Singapore government shifted its focus to more pragmatic approaches --> literacy as an economic resource, such that the educated population can ensure the prosperity and survival of Singapore. This suggests that only the literate people will be able to wield power and advance in the society.
This is illustrated in MOE's Intermediate Outcomes of Education, which shows a steady progression in the expectations of students, from "love Singapore" (Primary Schools) to "understand what it takes to lead Singapore" (Junior College). With reference to today's context, the ability to understand the language of technology is an important prerequisite to succeeding in the work life.
Literacy as a State of Grace
A literate person tends to be associated with positive traits and is able to engage in higher order thinking and learning. More importantly, literacy will have a self-enhancing effect on the individuals that aids in developing their minds. Similar to the previous metaphor, there is a great divide between the literates and the illiterates.
What can we take away from Scribner's views on "literacy"?
Literacy:
- is a social achievement
- is an outcome of cultural transmission
- involves social analysis
- is not a necessity for personal survival
- does not exclude a person from full participation in economic activities or in town or society life
- is not dominated by a specific metaphor (There's no "one size fits all" kind of metaphor)
- may have multiple meanings depending on the culture of the society
We should learn to accept the multifarious nature of literacy in order to adapt to the diversity of this changing society, allow our students to be socially empowered by the knowledge that literacy brings and open them up for self-enhancements in their journeys to getting literate.
Labels: Literacy in Three Metaphors Article Response
1:59 AM
Saturday, January 24, 2009
After Wednesday's tutorial, I realised that I have missed out an element of multiliteracy, which is the need to be "critical". Valuable knowledge and information can be extracted from the text we read only if one is critical in assessing the text and critical literacy will enable us to see beyond what's on the surface. We can easily incorporate the multiliteracies pedagogy into our classrooms, but without inculcating critical understanding in our students, we will not be able to reap the full benefits of what the pedagogy offers.
Here's an example of what being critical can allow us to see, enjoy!
Here's an example of what being critical can allow us to see, enjoy!
Labels: Being critical
11:44 PM
Sunday, January 18, 2009
I came across this image from the University of Texas at Austin's website and found it very related to what we will be doing in this course. I hope at the end of the course, I'll be able to explain this multiliteracy model in relation to our our teaching in class!
Labels: A Multiliteracy Mandala Model
11:00 PM
Thursday, January 15, 2009
To be literate in today's society means to have a command of a range of increasingly diverse and complex texts and technologies: that is, to be multiliterate (Cope & Kalantzis, 2000)
- The New London Group's (NLG) multiliteracies article suggests that in this increasingly technological world, teachers and students must be able to adapt to the new literacies that are coming up faster than we can imagine. With this, teacher should actually replace their traditional view of literacy with a broader view of it in order to prepare our students to design their social futures. Armed with multiliteracy pedagogy, teachers will be able to better engage and stimulate students' interests.
Multiliteracy pedagogy will enable our students to access the increasingly diversified and ever changing working society by fostering understanding and control of the representational forms.
With the new literacies that spring up every now and then, I won't be surprised if the cartoon below actually depicts our future generation...
- As the world becomes globalised, there is also an increased diversity in culture, language, text and other representational forms. Multiplicity of communications and media in this case, is accommodated under the pedagogy of multiliteracies as it allows the integration of various modes of meaning-making to deal with the differences brought about by diversity.
- To address the ('What') of the pedagogy of multiliteracy, the concept of 'Design' came up. The 'Design' mentioned by NLG is used to describe the forms of meaning or the content. To bring into our context, we teachers can be considered designers of students' learning processes and the environment in which learning takes place.
How we as teachers can actively design learning will depend on three elements,
a) Available Designs
b) Designing
c) The Redesigned
Through the 3 elements, teachers can actively construct new meanings in a non-linear process. The Available Designs provides the initial resources for Designing to take place for new meaning making resources to be created through The Redesigned. The ('What') of the pedagogy of multiliteracy will be translated into ('How') in the next section as I exemplify with my practicum experience. - With the advent of technology in the current era, multiliteracy is no longer an unfamiliar term in schools. We can see the influx of modern literacies like blogging, video blogging, Wikis, 3D animations and gamings etc. being infused into teaching.
I was lucky to be exposed to the use of podcasts during my second practicum as my CT happens to be in charge of the IT club. Initially, I did not think that it was interesting nor will students be able to learn much from it. But I was wrong! All the students that I observed were very focused and engaged during the process of creating their podcasts. This got me interested and I began to follow my CT whenever there were IT club sessions.
The pedagogy of multiliteracy was implemented to help develop the students literary, speaking and IT skills in a way which interests them. Its interactivity also allows students to share their work with others and get their comments for their creations.
After reading the NLG's article, I was able to relate the term, 'Multiliteracy' and the concepts I have learnt from the article, to my experience with students creating podcasts. The 4 critical aspects ('How') of the pedagogy of multiliteracy that NLG mentioned can be used to show how learning takes place in podcasting:
Situated Practice
Students can choose to bring:
- CDs containing songs that they like to discuss the genre of songs that they want for their podcasts or
- their favourite storybooks or even DVDs of movies they like to discuss the story plot for their podcasts
From the samples of songs or stories that they have brought, students will find out what are important to a good song or story. (Eg. the lyrics or the plot of the story)
Overt instructions
The teacher will have a discussion with the students to get them to notice how the genre of songs/lyrics/story plot/characters that they choose can have an effect on the overall meaning. The teacher will also play some audio clips or audio books to illustrate the effects.
This is where students develop the metalanguage for design.
Critical framing
Students will have a sharing session to see what kind of songs or story podcasts are popular among their friends and learn from the constructive critiques given during the session to think of ways to improve on their own.
Transformed practice
Students now write their own lyrics/stories and do a podcast based on them. These are then shared online with others in the school.
Here the students are designers of social futures.
________________________________________________
Podcasting has been quite popular with schools and there has been a yearly National Schools Podcast Competition to encourage the use of such new literacies.
What was mentioned above illustrates one way that multiliteracies pedagogy can seep into our school context, I've added a link on the sidebar to the schools that participated in the LEAD ICT@Schools Scheme and from their school's websites, you will be able to find many exciting and engaging ways that multiliteracy can work for you.
Podcasting has been quite popular with schools and there has been a yearly National Schools Podcast Competition to encourage the use of such new literacies.
What was mentioned above illustrates one way that multiliteracies pedagogy can seep into our school context, I've added a link on the sidebar to the schools that participated in the LEAD ICT@Schools Scheme and from their school's websites, you will be able to find many exciting and engaging ways that multiliteracy can work for you.
Labels: NLG Article Response
7:30 AM
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
This is the post to mark my first lesson of AAE439 Multiliteracies and I am pleased to present the 4th blog in my blog family!
Labels: My First Posting
8:28 PM
Jess Chen...
