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Design+ Multimodality in art teacher education in China

In summary, the challenge for art teacher education Specifically, art educators may start by developing
in China is to explore methods that can more effectively a common vocabulary for discussing the ideational,
enhance creativity, integrate technology, and strengthen interpersonal, and textual metafunctions of art artifacts,
moral education, all while developing a cultural identity guided by the grammar of visual design in their
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that balances national and global dimensions. pedagogical approaches. Multimodal frameworks
have been recommended as relevant frameworks for
5. Adapting multimodality for art teacher analyzing picture books, which we posit share significant
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education in China multimodal and visual elements with art artifacts. Drawing
from the three metafunctions, Table 1 provides examples
With the above-mentioned challenges in mind, we suggest of critical prompts for art educators to delineate the range
adapting multimodality to address the issues faced by of interpretive, analytical, and evaluative opportunities that
art teacher education in China. We recommend this students may focus on when analyzing and creating art.
approach based on our prior discussion of developments
in multimodality, education, teacher education, and art Apart from adapting MSSA for art teacher education,
teacher education in China. art teachers can be guided to design effective learning
experiences by adapting the knowledge processes
Multimodality and art seem to be logical partners, as from multimodal pedagogies, such as experiencing,
visual contexts are “invariably multimodal”. 47,p.255 However, conceptualizing, analyzing, and applying. We also note
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adapting multimodality for art teacher education should a strong alignment between knowledge processes and the
not only superficially bring in multimodal compositions stated goals of China’s National Standard for Art Education
for students to view. Current empirical research shows in the Compulsory Stage. Like knowledge processes, the
multimodal pedagogies support creative and culturally standard aims to develop students’ abilities through
responsive teaching, 16,21 which is relevant to the synesthesia, with a focus on “feeling and experiencing,
challenges in Chinese teacher education and art teacher creating and expressing, reflecting and commenting”. 1,p.153
education, particularly in enhancing creativity, fostering
cultural identity, and promoting moral education. While Although there has not been extensive scholarly
adapting multimodality for art teacher education is documentation on applying multimodality in art
part of an emerging pedagogical exploration that may education, established research shows that multimodal
face uncertainties, there are scholarly precedents set by pedagogies are flexible enough to be adapted for various
empirical studies since the introduction of multiliteracies contexts, disciplines, and levels of study. 16,20 For instance,
pedagogy. 13 multimodal pedagogies have been adapted to design lesson
packages in primary and secondary schools in Singapore,
We propose two possible adaptations, one informed by guiding students to produce multimodal compositions
MSSA and the other guided by the knowledge processes of such as short videos and posters. Table 2 shows the focus
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multimodal pedagogies. 2,9 of these English lesson packages, which were co-designed
In the context of Chinese art education, MSSA offers by teachers and researchers for several Singaporean
a systematic framework for developing culturally critical primary and secondary schools.
and reflexive ways of interpreting and understanding the These studies imply that adapting multimodal pedagogies
complexity of interrelated semiotic systems within Chinese for art teacher education may steer art educators to move
society. Studying the complexity of semiotic modes that beyond existing fossilized approaches to teaching in the
shape Chinese art practices and artifacts may uncover Chinese context without merely mimicking Western models.
learning traditions and conditions unique to Chinese Another key advantage of multimodality is that its lesson
society, thereby assisting art students to develop a stronger, designs invariably integrate technology in a theoretically
more grounded cultural identity. grounded manner, aligning with national policy goals in
3,20
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Pedagogical approaches informed by a social semiotic China. It should also be reiterated that although multimodal
perspective would guide art educators in considering how pedagogies do not always focus primarily on culture, the
various forms of traditional and contemporary knowledge framework provides guidelines to scaffold understandings
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representations are established in Chinese art education. of available cultures and cultural designs, which is another
Art education involves not only technical knowledge, policy goal in Chinese art education.
theories, and practices, but also interpersonal meaning- Despite the many potential benefits of multimodality
making, embodied experiences, voices, attitudes, and or multimodal pedagogies, it should not be viewed as
beliefs, all of which can be expanded to support knowledge a perfect, problem-free panacea to the issues facing
construction, especially in global contexts. art teacher education in China. As discussed earlier,

Volume 1 Issue 1 (2024) 7 doi: 10.36922/dp.4554