The Pedagogy of Multiliteracies in the Teaching of Spanish as a Second Language: an Approach to the Active Creation of Meaning

Abstract

This article presents a pedagogical approach to teaching Spanish as a second or additional language (L2) that aims to foster students’ ability to think critically, express their ideas and build active knowledge. Based on the essential role of the teacher as a mediator and the combination of verbal language with other visual, auditory and spatial modes of representation characteristic of today’s multimodal society, we explain in detail the fundamental concepts of the Pedagogy of multiliteracies as well as illustrate its implementation with a didactic unit oriented to a medium or high intermediate level. Likewise, we explain the notions of backward design, essential questions, the four pedagogical acts for the knowledge process and an evaluation proposal with formative and summative techniques. The last section of the article relates the Pedagogy of Multiliteracies to the Taxonomy of Bloom (1956), and highlights the interaction oriented to the meaningful exchange of information between learners on topics of authentic personal and social interest.