Comprehension 360 — Modality
Elucidating The Sesquipedalian Paradigms of Education
The Definition
Modality has long been a key concept in education. Multiple Modality is a buzzword that has been popular since the advent of the computer age and the growth of multimedia. In fact, in many ways, multiple modality and multimedia are quite similar.
Modality focuses on the way in which information or instruction is given. Whether focused on medium, channel, or the more classic avenues of teaching, the emphasis is now on the use of multiple modes or formats to deliver the message.
Origin
While one might be tempted to believe the recent focus on technology is a recent fad, the origins or etymology of modality paints a different story. Modality is a word with French origin that shares a common root with mode. It was a phrase that originally referred to themes in art and music. It is a reference to style and fashion. The nature of that style is quite a la mode.
The Senses
While the educational focus of modality is fairly simplistic, it is used in various other sciences. This article will not drill into most of those other uses, but if you wish to explore further — start here.
One exception is sensory or stimulation modality. This concept is the core of multimodal perception. If this all feels like we’ve gone down a rabbit hole, just remember that the reason modality is important to education has to do with human senses. Each of these sense is described and analyzed by a particular science and those sciences use modality as a component.
Connection & Education
Basically, as people take in information via each of the five sense, different things happen in their brain. Different channels cause differing sets of neurons to fire. While one channel may prove more effective for any given individual than another, the real power is thought to reside in the connection of multiple senses (modalities).
Tools for Leveraging Modality
For more information on modality and to gain a better understanding of its science and impact consider some of the following topics.
- Neuroplasticity
- Mnemonic
- Andragogy / Pedagogy
- Gamification
A Last Word
Gunther Kress is a solid resource for greater information when it comes to modality and education. You can view a brief and multimodal paper here:
A video interview here:
Or explore some of his more in depth offers here:
Comprehension 360 is a series created by Corsair’s Institute to increase the reader’s understanding of key concepts in education and learning. For more articles like these — please subscribe to our magazine which shares its name Comprehension 360.
