CD-ROM multimodal affordances: classroom interaction perspectives in the Malaysian English literacy hour

CD-ROM affordances are explored in this article through participation in classroom interaction. CD-ROMs for shared reading of animated stories and language work were introduced to all Malaysian primary schools in 2003 for the Year 1 English Literacy Hour. We present classroom interaction extracts that show how the same CD-ROMs offer different affordances in their support of seven teaching styles differentiated along eight dimensions. The meaning potential of the CD-ROMs emerges as teachers make salient different combinations of modes in the materials. Despite these interactional differences, the introduction of CD-ROMs is essentially a 'benign addition' in that it generates interest and motivation among students and is appreciated by teachers for 'lightening the load', but has done little to transform traditional ways of teaching in these Year 1 classrooms: there was no evidence of the increased interaction and student participation desired by the Ministry. Our findings resonate with research internationally which calls for clear guidelines about 'what works'. Our classification of teaching styles based on interactions afforded by the Malaysian CD-ROMs enables us to identify what might work in different contexts.