To develop a multimodal learning design with digital tools

Challenges previously identified in teacher education in Sweden include: i) a gap between theoretical education provided by universities and the practical experiences encountered during teaching practice in schools, and ii) a lack of teaching methodologies in general, especially those involving digital tools. Despite research indicating that collaborative creation of digital animations by students can facilitate participation and cooperative learning (Ebbelind et al., 2023; Patron et al., 2024; Wernholm et al., 2023), these challenges persist. This developmental project aims to address these issues by introducing students to a theoretical model for designing learning activities and providing them with opportunities to utilize this model in planning, implementing, and evaluating learning activities involving digital tools.The theoretical model utilised in this project is the Learning Design Sequence (LDS)-model (Selander, 2008), which is developed within the Designs for Learning theory that in turn is theoretically connected to a social semiotics perspective of multimodality (Kress, 2010). Teacher students, university teachers and in-service teachers participate in this developmental project. Initially, university teachers and in-service teachers attended a lecture and a workshop. During this workshop, they were given the opportunity to engage in the same activity, to create a digital animation, that the teacher students are later offered to participate in. Subsequently, students utilised the LDS-model to plan, implement, and evaluate a learning design sequence with pupils. Finally, the students wrote individual reflections and shared and discussed their experiences with their peers. Following these activities, interviews were conducted with the university teachers, in-service teachers and the students to explore their experiences. Additionally, the students were asked for consent to share their written reflections with the researchers. The participating university t