Multimodal Writing in Multilingual Space

Abstract

This conceptual review article explores the intersection of multimodal writing and multilingualism in a contemporary educational context, with a focus on both secondary and post-secondary classrooms. As digital tools, media platforms, and global communication in interconnected spaces reshape literacy practices, students increasingly communicate and express themselves through a range of modes—visual, audio, textual, and gestural—often in more than one language. This article argues for reimagining and reconceptualizing writing to be a multifaceted literacy practice that integrates multimodal digital tools and that invites multilingual literacy opportunities. Drawing on classroom examples and current research on multimodal writing and translanguaging practices in multilingual spaces, the article explores how educators can support students in developing critical literacy skills through multimodal projects that honor linguistic diversity, cultural identity, and multiple means of expression. The article offers practical strategies for scaffolding multimodal writing in multilingual space, creating inclusive literacy environments where multilingualism and multimodality are seen as a resource, not a barrier.