Multimodal CLIL approaches in teaching Canadian literature: enhancing language and literary competence

This article investigates the integration of multimodal strategies into a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) framework for teaching Canadian Literature in Ukrainian higher educational institutions. The study addresses a gap in current research by exploring how multimodal approaches – combining visual, auditory, textual, and digital elements – can support both language acquisition and literary engagement among university students. Canadian literature, with its focus on themes of identity, cultural hybridity, and migration, offers rich potential for such interdisciplinary and language-sensitive instruction. The aim of the study is to analyze theoretical and methodological foundations for implementing multimodal CLIL pedagogy in literature classrooms. To achieve this, the research employs methods of content analysis, generalization, and systematization, focusing on contemporary scholarship in linguistics, semiotics, and education with the particular attention to the concept of scaffolding as a core principle of CLIL methodology. Findings suggest that multimodal strategies serve as effective scaffolding tools in CLIL environments, enabling students to access and interpret complex literary texts more effectively. These strategies enhance language competence, support comprehension, and foster critical cultural awareness. The study proposes a model for integrating multimodal resources – such as visual modes (infographics, videos and interactive digital tools) – into the teaching of Canadian Literature in Ukrainain higher educational institutions. Observation shows that using infographics and videos supplements students' understanding of sociocultural environment of the events as well as enhances language competence and the ability to analyze literary output. Interactive digital tools like creating a book trailer facilitates students' understanding of the problems raised by the author, develops their critical thinking and the ability to pass judgement, which aims at developing literary competence. The article concludes by outlining practical implications for curriculum design and offering directions for future research on multimodal CLIL practices in literature education.