Enhancing Literacy: Multimodal Learning in Early Childhood Education

This report emphasizes the importance of multimodal learning in early childhood education, focusing on literacy and communication skills. It critically analyzes the Play and Learn through Arts (PLA) program, which integrates interdisciplinary activities through art forms to foster a holistic learning environment, and compares it with Grasha's model of learning styles for adults. The PLA program's five-step implementation, involving topic selection, art form investigation, emergent literacy, active role allocation, and reflection, is detailed, highlighting its positive impact on social interaction, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. The report contrasts PLA's focus on early childhood development with Grasha's emphasis on cognitive and behavioral attitudes of college students, ultimately advocating for the incorporation of multimodal approaches in early childhood settings to enhance learning and communication abilities. Desklib provides a platform for students to access similar solved assignments and study resources.

Running head: MULTIMODAL LEARNING AMONG CHILDREN
Multimodal Learning among Children
Name of student:
Name of university:
Author Note:

1MULTIMODAL LEARNING AMONG CHILDREN
To,
The Nursery Manager,
New horizons childcare,
61, Churchwood street,
London, UK
Respected Sir/Madam,
I am writing this letter to emphasize on the importance of including multimodal
approach in education children during early childhood settings. I would also mention that
music and drama as art forms provides a better approach in developing liberal
communication among children. I would provide a critical analysis of PLA program
compared to Grasha’s model of learning among adults.
Incorporating multimodal learning approach in early childhood education proves to be
beneficial for children to learn and remember easily, thereby developing a holistic
environment around them. Literacy skill development forms an essential part of children’s
education. Interdisciplinary education leads to developing literacy skills among children;
integration and interaction various disciplines and including art in literacy development helps
children to learn better and remember easily in an innovative style.
Various researches have been performed on children literacy development with
inclusion of interdisciplinary approach in various art forms; music, drama and visual art
representations have been performed which showed positive outcomes in children with better
verbal communication development. I would explain taking Play and Learn through Arts
(PLA) program which has been implemented in early child settings to support liberal
communication development.

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The PLA program was an innovative approach designed to integrate interdisciplinary
activities through various art forms. The program aimed to support literacy development
involving art activities to promote a holistic environment where children would perform art
activities according to their choice. Children would actively participate in the art activities
and collaborate with the program practitioners. A liberal environment would be created due
to these art activities which facilitate communication development in early childhood. The
basis of PLA program was to develop a teaching methodology with a focus on social
interaction skills. Social interactions are important in literacy development and improving
knowledge skills (Theodotou 2018). This program was different in that no specific art forms
were selected; children could in dependently select and perform any art activity. This enables
development of in dependent thinking ability among early children. The children and
practitioner collaborated on their performing activity steps. There was no correct or ready-
made solution based on this approach; this facilitated in dependent performing ability in
children.
The PLA program involves five steps to implement the innovative approach. In the
beginning of the program, the children will select a topic according to their interests. The
children thereafter will select an art form and investigate on the selected topic. This can be a
short drama; the practitioner acts as a facilitator of the art form and the children will discuss
about their feelings, ideas or perceptions about the drama (Theodotou 2017). In the next step
of emergent literacy, the practitioner acts as the sole listener to the expressions and
discussions of the children. The children takes a leading role in this step and develop
independent thinking on the topic through collaboration with the practitioner. The next step is
the longest one where the active roles are allocated to implement on the decided activities.
Finally the practitioner and children reflect on these processes; questions like what the

3MULTIMODAL LEARNING AMONG CHILDREN
children learnt through these activities, what help they provided to their friends during the
activities, what else could be done as a better approach are indicative of learning.
The PLA program was implemented in a school as a part of weekly activities. The
children took paintings as a selected art form. The implementation of PLA program resulted
in progress in literacy development and improved social interaction. Learning through
painting s as an art form improved social communication, creativity and problem solving
abilities in children. The children developed flexibility and social skills like cooperativity,
conflict resolution, sharing and creativity (Theodotou 2017). This play associated learning
approach emphasized on remembering facts and lessons, which was achieved in preschool
where the PLA program was implemented.
I would therefore say that, early learning should be fostered through multimodal
approaches in a multimodal environment. Multimodal learning involves inclusion of various
modes or information related codes to provide learning. Modes can be both verbal and
nonverbal; printed texts or words act as verbal modes and pictorial representations,
animations, act as non-verbal modes (Bezemer and Kress 2015). Sensory receptors (auditory
and visual) act as modalities to receive the modes. Therefore, to define multimodal
environment, I would emphasize that learning environment needs to include both verbal and
non-verbal modes to promote social interaction between children (Blikstein 2013). The
multimodal environments are interactive in terms of navigating, searching and controlling
interactions.
I would present Grasha’s model of learning styles. Grasha’s model is focussed on
learning approaches for adult education through designing instructional approaches. Grasha’s
model of learning emphasizes on the preference of learning approach among adults and
college students. This model is focussed on the cognitive and behavioral effects of students

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towards learning approach (Limongelli et al., 2013). The Grasha’s model is mainly focussed
on the learning attitudes of students and their attitudes towards instructional approaches by
peers and teachers. This model studies the student’s behavioral attitudes towards classroom
activities and teaching methods.
The Grasha’s model discusses six learning styles which are competitive,
collaborative, avoidant, participant, dependent and independent styles. In competitive
learning style, students tend to fair better in their learning skills in comparison to other
students. Thus they try to come out as competitive in their course of learning. Class activities,
group performances are developed which show that the students dominate and develop as
leaders during learning development (Baneshi et al. 2014). In collaborative style of learning,
students tend to perform through sharing of creative ideas with teachers and their peers. They
take active participation in small group projects and group discussions. This results in
creative learning and developing individual abilities to solve problems. Avoidant style of
learning shows that students are reluctant to participate in any learning skill development
approach. They tend to remain uninterested in classroom teaching (Bomer 2015). They show
a dislike for enthusiastic instructional approaches and teaching methods. Participant style of
learning involves students who enjoy attending classroom teaching, actively takes part in
teaching lectures and learn through discussions and lecture sessions. In dependent learning
style, students are dependent on their teachers and peers to learn from their teaching methods.
The teachers appear as authoritative figures to these students; students tend to follow as their
teachers guide them through learning course. In independent learning style, the students
prefer to think independently and work on self-designed projects. They prefer to perform
independent study approach and take as much as they require from the teacher’s instructional
method of teaching (Kurilovas, Kubilinskiene and Dagiene 2014). They are confident and

5MULTIMODAL LEARNING AMONG CHILDREN
prefers to take up self-paced independent assignments. This fosters critical thinking ability in
these students.
I would therefore say that both PLA program and Grasha’s model of learning have
similarities as well as differences in their designed approach. Both are similar in that they are
intended to develop learning skills and knowledge enhancement in multimodal learning
approach (Gregory et al. 2013). Both PLA program and Grasha’s model of learning
incorporates multimodalities in learning skill development among students. Creating
interactive multimodal environment is central to both PLA and Grasha’s model. However,
among the differences between PLA and Grasha’s model, PLA program enable learning
development and communication skill development among early childhood settings. PLA
focusses on verbal and non-verbal modes of information so as to improve literacy
development among children. Grasha’s model of learning focusses on the cognitive and
behavioral attitudes of college students towards learning styles. Grasha’s model of learning
emphasizes on the student attitudes rather than the teacher’s teaching methods, whereas the
PLA program focusses on the modes of teaching approach like pictorial representation, art
activities like drama, paintings, music.
I would like to say that PLA program implemented among early childhood settings
has a better impact on childhood learning process. Their literacy development and social
interaction skills are improved to a much greater extent through various art forms of learning
activities. According to my perception, learning development during early childhood settings
enables easier and faster development of learning and communication abilities compared to
Grasha’s model where student’s learning attitudes are emphasised. I would therefore like to
say that multimodal learning approaches should be incorporated during early childhood
settings to improve their learning measures. Early childhood learning through art activities
have a better impact on children to develop independent critical thinking approach while

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taking up independent assignments as per my thinking (Sigrist et al. 2013). I feel that learning
development among adults therefore fosters a coping ability in a competitive manner
enhancing leadership among students. Therefore, I would like to say that PLA program in
early childhood settings has a beneficial impact on a child as a whole compared to Grasha’s
model of learning which emphasized how students approach towards learning measures.
Yours sincerely,
Student

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References
Baneshi, A.R., Tezerjani, M.D. and Mokhtarpour, H., 2014. Grasha-Richmann college
students’ learning styles of classroom participation: role of gender and major. Journal of
advances in medical education & professionalism, 2(3), p.103.
Bezemer, J. and Kress, G., 2015. Multimodality, learning and communication: A social
semiotic frame. Routledge.
Blikstein, P., 2013, April. Multimodal learning analytics. In Proceedings of the third
international conference on learning analytics and knowledge (pp. 102-106). ACM.
Bomer, R., 2015. Literacy classrooms: Making minds out of multimodal material. Handbook
of Research on Teaching Literacy Through the Communicative and Visual Arts, Volume II: A
Project of the International Reading Association, p.353.
Gregory, E., Choudhury, H., Ilankuberan, A., Kwapong, A. and Woodham, M., 2013.
Practice, performance and perfection: learning sacred texts in four faith communities in
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Kurilovas, E., Kubilinskiene, S. and Dagiene, V., 2014. Web 3.0–Based personalisation of
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662.
Limongelli, C., Lombardi, M., Marani, A. and Sciarrone, F., 2013, July. A teaching-style
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Sigrist, R., Rauter, G., Riener, R. and Wolf, P., 2013. Augmented visual, auditory, haptic, and
multimodal feedback in motor learning: a review. Psychonomic bulletin & review, 20(1),
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Theodotou, E., 2017. Examining literacy development holistically using the Play and Learn
through the Arts (PLA) programme: a case study. Early Child Development and Care, pp.1-
12.
Theodotou, E., 2017. Literacy as a social practice in the early years and the effects of the arts:
a case study. International Journal of Early Years Education, 25(2), pp.143-155.
Theodotou, E., 2018. Using different art forms to investigate the impact on children’s
involvement in literacy activities. Education 3-13, pp.1-15.