Reimagining Expression (Part 1): Multimodality in The ELT Classroom

This three-part series explores how multimodality can enrich English language teaching and English-medium instruction by highlighting both research insights and classroom applications.

Digital multimodal composing (DMC) projects give multilingual learners of English (MLEs) new opportunities to communicate—and to shine. These projects can help you answer questions like:

• • How can multilingual learners of English (MLEs) fully express their ideas and feelings if they can't always articulate themselves in oral and written English? 
  • How can we as teachers get to know their cultural backgrounds in more authentic ways? 
  • How can we inspire them to be more creative in demonstrating their ideas?

What Are Digital Multimodal Composing Projects?  

DMC refers to the literacy practice in which designers use digital tools to produce multimodal artefacts that integrate multiple modes. For the term "mode," you can understand it as a means of communicating meanings. According to the New London Group, there are generally five modes: visual, linguistic, spatial, aural and gestural. In DMC projects, learners do not solely rely on the linguistic mode (e.g., written or spoken words), but have more ways to communicate their ideas. 

Common DMC projects include:

• • Web pages and blogs
  • Podcasts
  • PowerPoints
  • Posters and infographics
  • Digital stories 
  • Videos 

For many of our learners, these DMC practices have probably already become part of their everyday life. They tune into podcasts to hear inspiring stories, film vlogs to capture a day in their lives, and design digital storybooks for friends. Bringing these practices into classrooms could connect school learning with these learners’ real-world literacy practices. For students new to DMC, they’ll introduce opportunities to explore new ways of expression.

Why Digital Multimodal Composing Projects? 

Expanding Expression 

Using alternative (nonlinguistic) modes allows learners to take risks in their expression, demonstrating their ideas in ways that previously couldn’t be achieved through traditional writing assignments. For example:

• • In a digital storybook project about family members, they could add photos of relatives
  • At the end of a video, they could insert a smiley emoji to show appreciation for the audience's attention
  • In a podcast, they could play a song clip in their home language to give the audience an example of how it sounds.

Creativity often emerges organically during DMC because introducing such projects into classrooms opens up new ways for learners and teachers to see, shape, and experience what writing can be. When digital technologies become part of the composing process, the act of writing shifts from a static task to an exploratory, design-rich experience.

Learners gain new perspectives as they experiment with tools that let them move beyond traditional text: They can comment on shared documents using hyperlinks, images, or voice notes; design poster layouts using templates in visual-creation platforms; and try out AI tools that convert written ideas into visuals. As learners make these choices, they begin to view composition not simply as producing a final text, but as a multimodal process that invites play, decision-making, and innovation.

Enhancing Identity Affirmation 

A second—and perhaps more important—reason to implement DMC projects is that they create space for identity expression and affirmation. 

Because the linguistic mode is not the dominant means of communication in DMC projects, using them can allow our MLEs relief from the pressure of perfecting grammar, syntax, and diction—a pressure they often feel in English language speaking and writing. This shift can boost their confidence, allowing them to position themselves as capable and creative agents in communicating ideas to an English-speaking audience.

Moreover, DMC projects can also help MLEs recognize the values of their multilingual background and affirm their identity as multilingual speakers. With their expertise in more than one language, MLEs can read, watch, and hear how meaning is embodied and delivered in different cultural contexts and transfer those practices into their DMC projects. For example, MLEs with Chinese and English backgrounds might use ink wash painting in their PowerPoint design, and those with Spanish and English backgrounds might add Flamenco music to their videos. In a word, by engaging in DMC projects, MLEs could see that all parts of their knowledge and backgrounds are valuable, and they might better utilize them for knowledge construction in the future.

Useful Tools and Project Samples 

Now, you may be interested in incorporating DMC projects into your classrooms and wondering how best to begin. The sections that follow outline a range of DMC project types and useful tools appropriate for learners at different educational levels. 

Primary/Elementary

"About Me" Digital Storybooks
Tool: Book Creator or Adobe Express (with teacher support)
Task: Students create short multimedia books with photos, drawings, voice recordings, and simple text about themselves, their family, or their favourite activities.
Why: Build confidence and help young learners connect personal identity to school learning.

Class Mascot Podcast
Tool: Soundtrap, Podbean (with teacher support)
Task: As a class, students record short podcast episodes where the "class mascot" (a puppet, toy, or character) interviews students about what they learned this week.
Why: Make oral expression fun and introduce collaborative audio storytelling.

Middle School/Intermediate

Community Infographic Projects
Tool: Canva
Task: Students research a local community issue (e.g., recycling, water safety, school history) and create infographics to explain the issue visually.
Why: Strengthen research and synthesis skills while giving students a platform to represent their community knowledge.

Identity Exploration Videos
Tool: iMovie
Task: Students create short videos that connect personal or family experiences to classroom themes (e.g., culture, migration, language).
Why: Encourage identity exploration and connect curriculum with students' lived experiences.

Secondary/High School

Mini-Podcast Series on Course Themes
Tool: Soundtrap, Podbean
Task: In small groups, students script, record, and edit a 5–7 minute podcast episode exploring a curriculum concept (e.g., climate change, historical event, literary analysis).
Why: Build critical thinking, collaboration, and multimodal communication skills.

Critical Issue Infographic Gallery Walk
Tool: Canva
Task: Students design infographics presenting data or perspectives on contemporary issues (e.g., mental health, sustainability, media bias) and share in a gallery format for peer discussion.
Why: Foster audience awareness and advocacy through visual argumentation.

Digital multimodal composing is more than a "tech trend." It is a way to open up new pathways for learners to express knowledge and affirm their identities. Whether through a digital storybook, a podcast, or an infographic, MLEs can bring their voices, cultures, and ideas into the classroom in powerful new ways.

Why not start small—perhaps with a one-page infographic or a short audio story—and see how your students respond? You may find that DMC projects not only expand their meaning-making but also reveal voices and perspectives you haven't heard before.

In the next post in this series, we’ll discuss how multimodality can foster inclusivity in English-medium-instruction classrooms.