Playful Multiliteracies: Fan-Based Literacies' Role in English Language Arts Pedagogy

Standards and their corresponding assessments have continued to narrow English language arts (ELA) curricula, pushing more playful, creative composition to the margins or to out-of-school pursuits. Simultaneously, students enjoy writing creatively in many extracurricular spaces and activities, like fanfiction. Building from research showing that fan-based literacies align with ELA curriculum, this collective case study explores how three secondary ELA teachers incorporated their professional learning about fandoms into their classrooms. Framed in multiliteracies and theories of play, qualitative data generated through interviews, surveys, and artifact collection were iteratively analyzed to establish themes that illuminate how these teachers valued fan-based literacies within their curricula. Findings reveal teacher perspectives about fanfiction's role in fostering analytic reading of texts, cultivating creative responses to literature, scaffolding essay writing about real questions, and engaging students in the work of ELA. An argument for centering playful reading and writing in classrooms is presented.