color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Examples of curriculum resources and classroom practices that engage learners in meaning-making across images and writing are increasingly found within multimodal literacy and multiliteracies frameworks. These approaches recognize that meaning is constructed not only through written language but also through visual, spatial, audio, and gestural modes.

One common classroom example is the use of picture books and graphic novels. In these texts, students interpret meaning by integrating written words with illustrations. Importantly, images do not merely “decorate” the text; they often add new layers of meaning or even contradict the written narrative. Learners must move between visual and linguistic modes to fully understand the story, demonstrating how meaning is distributed across modes rather than contained in a single one (Vic Dept of Ed & Training). This movement between modes reflects a form of synaesthesia in learning—students translate visual cues (color, framing, symbolism) into verbal interpretations and vice versa.

Another example is digital storytelling projects, where students create multimedia texts such as videos, slideshows, or e-books. These compositions combine written scripts, images, audio narration, and sometimes animation. Such tasks require students to design meaning intentionally, choosing which mode best conveys a particular idea or emotion. Research shows that multimodal tasks “widen how students show understanding” by allowing expression through design and performance, not just print-based writing (ILT Education). Here, synaesthesia operates as students shift ideas from written language into visual imagery or sound, deepening comprehension and engagement.

Classroom activities like poster creation, storyboarding, and presentations also exemplify multimodal learning. For instance, when students design a poster, they must consider how layout (spatial mode), images (visual mode), and text (linguistic mode) interact to communicate meaning effectively. These activities highlight that each mode carries only part of the message, and meaning emerges from their interaction (Vic Dept of Ed & Training).

These experiences demonstrate the power of synaesthesia as a pedagogical process. Shifting between modes—such as translating an image into descriptive writing or turning a written narrative into a visual storyboard—encourages deeper cognitive processing. Learners must reinterpret and re-represent ideas, which strengthens understanding and supports memory. Moreover, multimodal learning engages multiple senses (visual, auditory, linguistic), making learning more inclusive and accessible, especially for diverse learners (Pathways).

From a pedagogical perspective, these approaches align with constructivist and social semiotic theories. Learners are not passive recipients of meaning; they actively design and redesign meaning across modes. This integrated approach also reflects the principles of multiliteracies pedagogy, which emphasizes the need to prepare students for communication in a media-rich, multimodal world.

In conclusion, classrooms that incorporate multimodal texts—such as graphic novels, digital storytelling, and visual design tasks—highlight the importance of synaesthesia in learning. By moving between images and writing, students develop flexible meaning-making skills, deeper comprehension, and the ability to communicate effectively across multiple modes.

Multi-Modal Meaning Making