This very practical session will begin by defining multi-modal texts and their characteristics. It will then explore in an introductory way the critical analysis of still images. During an interactive discussion participants will be provided with a language for analysing and discussing the meaning of still images and the role they play in texts. This will be followed by workshop activities and further discussion that will provide opportunities to practise these skills and examine classroom activities that might be developed with them.

This session will be an introduction to the language and skills necessary for the critical analysis of moving images (eg film and video) in a range of genres and contexts.

The aim of this session is to develop a shared vocabulary and understandings about reading and viewing a range of moving images, including video clips and movies. Participants will engage in an interactive discussion and practical activities with moving images followed by workshops activities that will explore how these ideas might be translated into classroom practice.

This session is designed to be extremely practical, encouraging those who do not feel confident about teaching students how to read and write multi-modal texts that include language and still and moving images, to look at it from a new perspective that may be more meaningful for both themselves and their students.

Using the knowledge acquired in the previous sessions on still and moving images we will compare and contrast the grammar of visual images with the grammar of the English language, with particular attention to the function of each of the two grammars in a piece of text. The presenters will model interactively with the participants how the use of the two grammars, together with a variety of outlining techniques, can aid in the planning and production of multi-modal texts. Participants will then engage in a similar process during workshop activities and discuss the classroom application of these ideas.