FROM TEXT TO MULTIMODALITY: REDEFINING ENGLISH WRITING PEDAGOGY IN THE DIGITAL AGE

The teaching of English writing has for long focused on linguistic accuracy and traditional genres like narration, description, exposition, and argumentation. However, with the advent of the digital age, traditional teaching content on longer meets the demands of this age. It is urgent to introduce multimodal writing with images and videos into the teaching of English writing. This paper proposes a teaching reform plan from three aspects: the course system, teaching methods, and evaluation system. The framework has three parts: basic writing, professional writing, and communication writing. The framework is combined with a project-driven workshop. Students have to do real-world multimodal tasks. A three-dimensional assessment model has also been introduced. This model considers three aspects: language quality, multimodal effects, and communicative impact. The preliminary implementation was carried out in two EFL writing classes. During the semester, the students’ writing skills improved significantly. This paper proposes a teaching model that others can try in their own classrooms. It brings multimodality into EFL writing instruction in a structured way. Teachers do not need special training to get started.