The gestural mode refers to gesture and movement. This mode is oftenapparent in delivery of speeches in the way(s) that speakers move theirhands and fix their facial features and in other texts that capture movementsuch as videos, movies, and television. Figure 4 shows Michelle Obama’sgestures at a speech she gave in Londo

You are likely already sharing and creating multimodal texts onlineand communicating with a wide range of audiences through social media,which Ryan P. Shepherd argues, requires multimodality.

Perhaps you remember an assignment from highschool when your teacher required you to create a Prezi or PowerPointpresentation, and she referred to it as a “multimodal project,” but you werenot exactly sure what that meant. Or perhaps you only remember writingfive paragraph essays in high school and have never heard or read the word“multimodal.

When you try to decide which deodorant is most effective by trying dif-ferent brands, you’re doing research. When you ask friends for recommen-dations about where to go to dinner, you’re doing research. When you exper-iment with different routes to find the best way to get to work, you’re doingresearch. And why? Because you want to know. Because you want to try toknow. But such information-gathering often takes particular routes, requiresspecific tools, and is measured very differently. That’s where research meth-ods come in. If you buy deodorant, you test it on yourself, a human subject.If you ask friends for dinner reservations, you might send a group text thatacts as a survey, see who weighs in, and find out if their opinions match

Research does not start with a thesis statement. It starts with a question

it is important to have access to multiple methods that mighteffectively lead you to a satisfying answer to your research question.

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Oral argument was a cornerstone of university curriculathrough the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and into the 18thcentury. Written forms of argumentation did not take precedencein university settings until the 1800s, and coinciding with increas-ing specialization found both within and outside of the university.

e researcher—whether student, academic, or professional—takes an active role in seeking

Finally, I asked, “In whatways can I exploit the tension between what they want me to doDQGZKDW,IHHO,PXVWGR"μ

This type of metaphor abounds. Byung-In Seo compares writingto building a house: One builds a basic structure and the individ-ual spark comes from personalizing the details, either decoratingthe house or the content of the essay

The 5PE may sound familiar. In its most basic form, it is anintroduction, three points, and a conclusion. Students are oftenJLYHQ D WRSLF WR GLVFXVV D SDVVDJH WR UHVSRQG WR RU D TXHVWLRQto answer

The idea that we can all learn to “write in general” is not justa harmless myth. It’s a dangerous idea that needs to die because ithurts students and frustrates teachers and employers

There is no writing in general, and thus no single class or work-shop or experience can teach people to write

Indeed, research in writing studies shows that improved writ-ing can be taught to writers at all levels, but we must first debunkthe deeply held idea in the collective psyche that only some luckypeople are good writers

Sometimes I compare writing tosports: I am not a naturally talented athlete, but I have trained forand run in dozens of races, from 5Ks to half-marathons. I am arunner. A person may not be naturally strong, but how could theygain strength? Lift weights. Need more flexibility and balance?Practice yoga. Likewise, it is with writing. We are all authors, andall authors can become better authors

When struggling writ-ers consider writing a piece of art, they become frustrated becausethey cannot force their writing to look like what they expect art tobe, and they have no clue where to begin to make themselves thegenius writer they believe teachers, bosses, and readers expect

Baker and Greene (1977) describe storytelling not as a memorized performance but instead an interaction that exists between the teller and the listeners. They claim that storytelling at its best is a mutual creation.

Those who regularly hear stories subconsciously acquire familiarity with narrative patterns and begin to predict upcoming events.

Storytelling is relating a tale to one or more listeners through voice and gesture. It is not the same as reading a story aloud or reciting a piece from memory or acting out a drama—though it shares common characteristics with these arts. The storyteller looks into the eyes of the audience and together they co-create the experience of the tale. The storyteller begins to see and recreate, through voice and gesture, a series of mental images; the audience, from the first moment of listening, squints, stares, smiles, leans forward, or falls asleep, letting the teller know whether to slow down, speed up, elaborate, or just finish. Each listener, as well as each teller, actually composes a unique set of story images derived from meanings associated with words, gestures, and sounds. The experience can be profound, exercising the thinking and touching the emotions of both teller and listener.

Storytelling is relating a tale to one or more listeners through voice and gesture. It is not the same as reading a story aloud or reciting a piece from memory or acting out a drama—though it shares common characteristics with these arts. The storyteller looks into the eyes of the audience and together they co-create the experience of the tale. The storyteller begins to see and recreate, through voice and gesture, a series of mental images; the audience, from the first moment of listening, squints, stares, smiles, leans forward, or falls asleep, letting the teller know whether to slow down, speed up, elaborate, or just finish. Each listener, as well as each teller, actually composes a unique set of story images derived from meanings associated with words, gestures, and sounds. The experience can be profound, exercising the thinking and touching the emotions of both teller and listener.