| Sumario: | Literacy teaching has consistently been a challenging issue in many contexts of schooling around the world because the controversial term literacy has been defined in numerous different ways; but yet there is no universal consensus on its actual meaning. As the world becomes more technologically connected and culturally diversified in the Information Age, the traditional meaning of literacy simply as the ability to read and write is no longer applicable because it does not take other influential literacy forms into account. Literacy needs a broader definition and multidimensional interpretations to develop a more flexible, pluralistic pedagogy for all students from diverse backgrounds. The concept of multiliteracies coined and constructed by the New London Group (1996), which openly welcomes multiple forms of literacy associated with information communications technologies (ICTs) and various cultural forms of literacy associated with complex multicultural societies, offers new opportunities to celebrate cultural diversity and linguistic richness in the new century. Multiliteracies becomes increasingly significant in the research field of Second Language Education because it effectively extends the scope of traditional literacy to broaden educational curriculum and enhance formal teaching methods to foster second language (L2) learners' cognitive engagement for academic and social success (New London Group, 1996). This paper aims to discuss the pedagogical value of the multiliteracies teaching approach in literacy education by addressing the following issues: 1) What are the appropriate educational constructs of literacy relevant to the technological, multicultural world in the 21st century? 2) What do multiliteracies mean for L2 pedagogy? How can multiliteracies be integrated with print-based curriculum to develop an optimal L2 pedagogy? 3) How can multiliteracies education facilitate L2 students' literacy development and better prepare them to fully participate in the globalized world? To critically analyze these issues, this paper will follow the theory-research-practice paradigm (Cummins, 2000) by discussing the theoretical orientations of the recently-developed Multiliteracies Framework (Cope & Kalantzis 2000) and the Academic Expertise Framework (Cummins, 2000) which jointly offer insightful suggestions of employing multiliteracies practices to facilitate literacy learning among L2 students, analyzing some recent research findings which articulate the effectiveness of the multiliteracies approach, and suggesting practical implications of such new teaching method for implementing proper educational practices.
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