Chapter 3. Integrating Multimodal and Film Literacies to Improve Writing Skills: A Film-Based Intervention for Teaching Spanish
Carmen Herrero
Carmen Herrero
Abstract
This chapter presents a series of film-based interventions conducted with secondary-school learners of Spanish as a Modern Language in Manchester (UK). The first part of the chapter offers the context and background of the interventions, outlining the pedagogical framework informed by the multiliteracies turn. Designed to enhance students’ writing skills, multimodal literacy and broader competences (including critical thinking, film literacy and intercultural awareness), these interventions draw on a multimodal approach to engage students in visual analysis and critical writing as part of their preparation for the essay writing assessment at the end of their A Level studies (pre-university level). The second part focuses on the implementation of the interventions, detailing the activities and didactic resources used. The findings suggest that, rather than focusing solely on writing skills, a pedagogical approach that integrates multimodality with a Cultural Studies perspective encourages students to critically examine screen media texts and articulate sophisticated analysis of the target film. As a result of the activities and the didactic resources employed, learners not only improve their Spanish language proficiency but also develop a deeper understanding of how to interpret and analyse films as multimodal texts.
About the Contributor
Carmen Herrero is a Reader (Assistant Professor) of Hispanic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, U.K., where she leads the group Film, Languages and Media Education (FLAME). She is the co-founder and co-director of the Film in Language Teaching Association (FILTA). Her research focuses on film and screen studies and their pedagogical application for language learning and teaching. She has co-edited four books in this interdisciplinary field: Teaching Languages with Screen Media: Pedagogical Reflections (Bloomsbury, 2023); Rethinking Multimodal Literacy in Theory and Practice (Peter Lang, 2023); Visual Literacy and Digital Communication: The Role of Media in New Educational Practices (Comares, 2022); and Using Film and Media in the Language Classroom (Multilingual Matters, 2019).
Citation
Herrero, C. (2025). Integrating multimodal and film literacies to improve writing skills: A film-based intervention for teaching Spanish. In A. Leis & M. Wilson (Eds.), Screen media in foreign language education (pp. 43-64). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/37/3
This chapter presents a series of film-based interventions conducted with secondary-school learners of Spanish as a Modern Language in Manchester (UK). The first part of the chapter offers the context and background of the interventions, outlining the pedagogical framework informed by the multiliteracies turn. Designed to enhance students’ writing skills, multimodal literacy and broader competences (including critical thinking, film literacy and intercultural awareness), these interventions draw on a multimodal approach to engage students in visual analysis and critical writing as part of their preparation for the essay writing assessment at the end of their A Level studies (pre-university level). The second part focuses on the implementation of the interventions, detailing the activities and didactic resources used. The findings suggest that, rather than focusing solely on writing skills, a pedagogical approach that integrates multimodality with a Cultural Studies perspective encourages students to critically examine screen media texts and articulate sophisticated analysis of the target film. As a result of the activities and the didactic resources employed, learners not only improve their Spanish language proficiency but also develop a deeper understanding of how to interpret and analyse films as multimodal texts.
About the Contributor
Carmen Herrero is a Reader (Assistant Professor) of Hispanic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, U.K., where she leads the group Film, Languages and Media Education (FLAME). She is the co-founder and co-director of the Film in Language Teaching Association (FILTA). Her research focuses on film and screen studies and their pedagogical application for language learning and teaching. She has co-edited four books in this interdisciplinary field: Teaching Languages with Screen Media: Pedagogical Reflections (Bloomsbury, 2023); Rethinking Multimodal Literacy in Theory and Practice (Peter Lang, 2023); Visual Literacy and Digital Communication: The Role of Media in New Educational Practices (Comares, 2022); and Using Film and Media in the Language Classroom (Multilingual Matters, 2019).
Citation
Herrero, C. (2025). Integrating multimodal and film literacies to improve writing skills: A film-based intervention for teaching Spanish. In A. Leis & M. Wilson (Eds.), Screen media in foreign language education (pp. 43-64). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/37/3
Information About the Book
Title: Screen Media in Foreign Language Education
Editors: Adrian Leis and Matthew Wilson
Read more...
Title: Screen Media in Foreign Language Education
Editors: Adrian Leis and Matthew Wilson
Read more...