Defining the Concept

In the context of new media and modern learning ecologies, Synesthesia does not refer to the neurological condition where one literally tastes colors. Instead, it describes the deliberate, educational process of shifting modes—taking a concept expressed in one language or medium and translating it into another (Cope & Kalantzis, 2015).

Traditional schooling is heavily biased toward the monomodal: a student reads text and writes text. In contrast, an e-learning ecology treats meaning-making as a dynamic, fluid landscape where a learner can navigate between multiple modes:

Written (text, transcripts)
Oral (speech, podcasts)
Visual (diagrams, color coding)
Spatial (architecture, digital UI layouts)
Tactile/Kinesthetic (gestures, user interactions)

When a student translates a concept across these modes, they are forced to deeply process the underlying structural logic of the information. This intentional translation is where deep, conceptual understanding is forged.

The Concept in Practice: Multimodal Concept Mapping to Video

A clear, practical example of educational synesthesia occurs when students transform an abstract mathematical formula or a scientific process into a visual and audio narrative.

For instance, rather than simply writing a traditional lab report about the water cycle, students navigate a chain of synesthetic shifts:

Visual to Spatial: Students map out the cycle using an interactive, node-based flowchart program.
Spatial to Written: They draft an accompanying narrative script describing the movement between the atmospheric nodes.
Written to Audio & Visual: Students record an animated explainer video, synchronizing voiceovers with dynamic visual transitions.

[Mathematical Formula/Text] ──► (Shift 1) ──► [Visual Flowchart] ──► (Shift 2) ──► [Audio/Video Animation]

By shifting the representation of the water cycle from text, to a spatial map, and finally to a moving video, the learner interacts with the same knowledge domain through entirely different cognitive pathways. The digital environment acts as the perfect catalyst for this, offering accessible creation tools that allow students to become versatile, multimodal creators.

For an extensive look at how multimodal learning design operates, check out the resources hosted on the New Learning Online Framework.

New Update: Redefining Representation through "Synesthesia" in Multimodal Meaning-Making