Pluriliteracies

The concept of pluriliteracies (commonly used in the plural) builds on earlier work in biliteracy, new literacies, multilingual and multimodal literacies, and plurilingualism. It emphasises the hybridity of literacy practices in situated sociocultural contexts and highlights the need for merging (rather than separating) literacy practices between languages. The first part of the entry presents the key features of a pluriliteracies approach, including the continuous interplay of multiple languages, scripts, discourses, dialects, registers, and technologies. It also explores the efforts to translate theoretical insights into major pedagogical innovations and changes, stressing the role of pluriliteracies in critical pedagogies that promote students’ and teachers’ cognitive, emotional, and/or behavioural engagement and agency. The second part provides concrete examples of how pluriliteracies can be used to promote deeper learning (e.g. plurilingual focus on disciplinary literacies, enhancement of textual fluency). The final section emphasises the role of pluriliteracies in supporting students and teachers with the competencies needed to become responsible global citizens.