As education enters a post-textual era shaped by artificial intelligence, multimodal communication, and pervasive digital media, traditional reading practices are being challenged by faster, sensory-driven formats. This trend prompts a critical inquiry for educational institutions and cultural organisations: The central question guiding this inquiry is whether literature is undergoing a decline in its role within the educational landscape or if it possesses the capacity to transform into novel experiential forms. This presentation puts forth a solution through Sound Movie Pedagogy, an innovative audio-cinematic approach that integrates narrated text, acting, music, and sound design to transform reading into an immersive, embodied experience.
Sound movies, which are grounded in research on digital orality, storytelling, and inclusive literacy, have been shown to stimulate cognitive engagement while reducing entry barriers for learners who struggle with printed text. Evidence from classroom trials and EdTech prototyping indicates that students exposed to audio-narrative learning activities demonstrate enhanced listening comprehension, vocabulary development, interpretive skills, emotional connection, and creative output. The multisensory structure of this approach has been shown to benefit multilingual classrooms, neurodiverse learners, and those with visual or reading difficulties, offering equitable access to literary content without compromising depth or rigor.
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The session will present live examples, production workflows, and AI-supported tools for scalable audio creation. It will also highlight how educators and institutions can integrate sound movies into language learning, literature units, and cross-curricular projects. This contribution contends that literature is not becoming obsolete; rather, it is undergoing a process of evolution. The integration of immersive sound experiences has the potential to rekindle a sense of curiosity, imagination, and a profound appreciation for narratives among the forthcoming generation of global learners.
Views expressed by Dr. Cecilia Vallorani, CEO & Founder, EchoEd L.LC-FZ, UAE
