The how of a pedagogy of multiliteracies : designing social futures as an approach to the teaching of the Drum short stories

Abstract

This article focusses on the how of A pedagogy of multiliteracies: designing social futures , devised by The New London Group, as an approach to the teaching of The Drum Decade: stories from the 1950 s edited by Michael Chapman. It will be argued that the combination of situated practice, overt instruction, critical framing and transformed practice advocated by the New London Group has the potential to develop the cultural, critical, visual and media literacies of learners, in accordance with principles laid down in the policy document for Language, Literacy and Communication in the senior phase of Curriculum 2005. As the focus in this pedagogical approach is on educators and learners being active participants in social change, this paper will include a discussion of some of the ways in which the short stories and journalistic exposés in The Drum Decade may be utilized to promote social transformation.