Multimodal Curriculum Design: Culturally Sustaining SFL Praxis with Multilingual Youth in Out-of-School Contexts

Abstract

This paper provides a description of the multimodal curriculum design and meaning making processes in what we call a Culturally Sustaining Systemic Functional Linguistics (CS SFL) praxis, developed in the context of an integrated youth and preservice teacher afterschool program. Informed by Halliday’s theory of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), in this paper we pay special attention to the mode continuum in our interactive curriculum that we designed to support multi semiotic meaning making and creative re-mixing processes of youth engaged in relational and civic work. We first provide an explanation of the conceptual framework of CS SFL praxis and then illustrate the approach by drawing on data from our program over the course of two years.