Whilst comics and graphic novels are criticised for being
inferior to books (Dean, 2010), the skills required to create and read them are
often under-rated. Furthermore, many
people assume that ‘those who choose to read books in graphic forms are seen as
denying themselves encounters with more ‘nourishing’ material’ (Millard and
Marsh, 2001:p25). However, Dean (2010)
argues that being literate in modern times should include understanding
elements of visual material.
The ability to understand comics involves a range of
literacy skills which are also relevant to reading books, for example
understanding the plot and the characters (Dean, 2010). Whilst the layout of comics and graphic novels
initially appear easy to read, the format itself has different rules, for
example a jagged edge speech bubble usually indicates the character is shouting
(QCA, 2005). Furthermore, demonstrating the
creation process with children would emphasise that the writing is the initial
stage rather than the drawing (Stafford, 2009).
Furthermore, creating comics in class would enable children to consider
how their use of composition and language affects an audience (QCA, 2005). Comics also require children to ‘read the
pictures extremely closely in order to see what narrative information might be
conveyed and to see whether or not the emotions of the characters can be
interpreted appropriately’ (Stafford, 299:p125). Whilst comics and graphic novels are
stylistically different to books, writing comic scripts can develop children’s accuracy
and conciseness which is necessary when telling a story in a limited amount of
frames (Stafford, 2009). Furthermore, engaging
with comics and graphic novels is beneficial as children often enjoy using
them, as a child in Stafford (2009) stated that in books ‘there are too many
lines’ which makes her skip ahead (p33).
This suggests that there is a danger of children not enjoying or
understanding the books they are reading, so it seems appropriate to use a
medium which is engaging enough to sustain their interest, in turn aiding their
literacy development.
Dean, G. ‘Rethinking Literacy’ in Bazalgette, C. (ed.)
(2010) Teaching Media in Primary
Classrooms London: Sage
QCA/UKLA (2005) More
than words 2: Creating stories on page and screen. London: QCA
Stafford, T. (2009) ‘Teaching Comics’ in Duncan, D. (2009) Teaching Children’s Literature: Making
stories work in the classroom Abingdon: Routledge
Millard, E. and Marsh, J. (2001) ‘Sending Minnie the Minx
Home: comics and reading choices’ Combridge
Journal of Education 31 (1) pp25-38
I agree that comics are engaging and could aid Literacy development. However, would it engage the whole class? And how difficult would it be for the teacher to gage what comics to use and what to take from them etc? The use of comics in school has its benefits, but it also has it's downfalls and would need to be taught with a lot of structure and specific objectives.
ReplyDeleteThe teacher would definitely have to consider whether or not it would engage the whole class, however if you were to use a book or a newspaper then it is equally likely that there would be a child who doesn't appreciate the medium. However, I think that if comics are used to support an engaging topic then other media would be used alongside them, rather than making children who dislike comics endure a whole topic based on them. Otherwise I suppose the trick is to adapt the way you teach comics. For example if a child isn't fond of comics but enjoys ICT, you could create digital comics like the ones we made in our last seminar.
ReplyDeleteFacilitating, the learning for all the children in the class if they are not all interested in comics, could pose limitations to using them, however could children not bring a comic or magazine of their interest and work from that? Understandably, practitioners would have to check that the content is suitable and both yourself and the children will feel at ease whilst using it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that comics should not be undermined and seen as detrimental to children learning, as they can provide great learning opportunities, as you highlighted throughout your post. I think teachers should embrace these types of text to engage and motivate children, but at the same time hold caution to their content and monitor what kinds of comics they bring into the classroom to make sure that learning intentions are met.
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