Critical Connections

This ongoing project, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (2012-2017), examines the role that a critical approach to digital storytelling across a range of languages (including Arabic, Chinese, English, French and German) can play in enhancing learning in mainstream and supplementary school contexts.

More concretely, Languages and English teachers are supporting secondary students in planning, creating and evaluating their own digital stories in different languages or combinations of languages using a range of software including Photostory, Moviemaker and VoiceThread.

A key aim is to encourage learner engagement and to examine how this can be supported most effectively. The inclusion of a student co-researcher strand extends opportunities for student voice to make itself felt within the project and in participating schools.

Related to this and to the transformative pedagogy implied are understandings of literacy which are multimodal and cross boundaries imposed by the official curriculum as well as between learning in home, school and community contexts.

For further information and resources please visit the project website.

Project Directors

• Dr Jim Anderson
• Dr Vicky Macleroy

Project Team

• Dr Anna Carlile
• Dr Yu-Chiao Chung (Research Assistant)
• Dr John Jessel
• Graham Salter