Literacy in the Classroom and Beyond: How Artifactual Literacies Can Sustain Students’ Culture, Identity, and Sense of Community

Abstract

This study examines the implementation of multiliteracy pedagogies through a culturallysustaining pedagogies framework in an elementary literacy classroom within Seattle Public Schools (SPS). Through a phenomenological approach, I instructed four students utilizing multiliteracies and multimodalities and conducted interviews to understand how these instructional methods impact Students of Color furthest from educational justice and provide opportunities for voice and agency over their learning as well as connections to their identities, cultures, and communities. The findings suggest that incorporating multiliteracies can reframe students' self-perception as readers and writers and allow for connections with their identities and cultures, aligning with SPS’s equity goals. This study recommends SPS include multiliteracies and multimodalities in their strategic plan and consider student narratives to better reflect the diverse experiences of their student body. These findings underscore the importance of culturally sustaining pedagogies in fostering an anti-racist and equitable educational environment.