Encouraging productive arts-literacy dialogues: A call to action

Abstract

There is minimal dialogue in the research literature between the arts and literacy, what does exist tends to privilege one over the other. This chapter presents a call to action - one that offers a more productive and encouraging relationship between the two concepts. It is recommended that a more refined definition of literacy is needed by acknowledging that multimodality and creativity are inherent in the ways in which we communicate, make decisions and ultimately learn and teach. It is also suggested that a different pedagogical approach to the learning and teaching of literacy in schools is endorsed. It is clear that many developed countries place significant importance on the results from standardised tests and that this approach is impacting on teachers' pedagogical practice. Encouraging a positive relationship between arts practice and literate practice will essentially mean that literacy will mean much more than what is verified through high-stakes testing. This will ultimately mean that theory should inform practice more than it does currently. Much has been done by researchers of literacy whereby it is influenced by societal and cultural practice and acknowledges that there are multiple forms of communication. Unfortunately, educational institutions, such as schools, have been slow to adopt these types of conceptual understandings of literacy. An understanding of such findings will assist in developing a more productive dialogue between the arts and literacy.