Reading Reflection # 1: Palmeri’s, Chapters 1 & 2

In the first two chapters of Remixing Composition: A History of the Multimodal Writing Pedagogy, Jason Palmeri’s lays out his argument that multimodal thinking has been imbedded in our composition process since before the digital age. He does this by examining the process by which “non-alphabetical” mediums are composed, and shows how the multimodal thinking evokes creativity, aids our ability to translate meaning, and stimulates imaginative thinking.

I was most struck by Palmeri’s references to the work Anne Berthoff who called her readers attention to Bob Sievert’s “Basic Bug” project. This elementary assignment asked third and fourth graders to compose personal reflections on their experience with bugs and insects, using both images and texts. Afterwards, students combined their individual compositions and as a class collaboratively created a mural about bugs and insects. While the basis of this assignment is elementary, the layout demands multimodal thinking and design, which Berthoff argues all educators should instill when crafting their assignments, noting that “the end of ‘the education story’ can’t be told unless we know the beginning. She points out that we cannot teach a student if we don’t understand their relationship to a subject. Therefore, it is in our best interest as educators of writing, to provide ourselves with opportunities to observe our students initial connection to the subject, and not view writing in isolation from other forms of compositions and communication our students are more comfortable with.

I am intrigued by Palmer’s argument, and as I read these chapters I found myself reflecting on the various multimodal compositions my students craft each day. Before entering my classroom, they have likely already sent out a text, a snapchat story, or posted on Instagram. By understanding the way my students compose these multimodal compositions they're so comfortable with, I may gain insight on the best way to inspire them to see the same ease of compositions in their approach to alphabetic writing.

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