The Use of Comic Books in the Classroom

The use of comic books in the classroom and their effect on children has been widely debated for some time. For example, even from 1955 Wertham (1955) states that comic books increase delinquency. However, more recent studies express that comics have some great uses in the classroom (Millard and Marsh 2001; Stafford 2009) and should not be dismissed as an unacceptable genre (Whitehead et al 1977).
Comic books have much value in them and children can gain many skills from studying these texts (Stafford 2009; Dean 2010; Bowkett and Hitchman 2012). Dean (2010) conveys that a range of literacy skills are used whilst reading books. Whilst Stafford (2009) expands this, expressing that children are able to be creative by using a narrative alongside pictures, read images for information, sequence events and infer from the texts. However, Stafford (2009) also states that some comics are not age appropriate and the teacher needs to make decisions as to which they should/should not use in school. Some fantastic teaching strategies can come from comics. Bowkett and Hitchman (2012) discuss many different lessons which could come from reading comics, such as telling a story in panels, comparing beginnings/endings and translate from a comic into a story/paragraph. These lessons are valuable in making children’s experiences broad and exciting, making their education relevant to their home life and interests.
Marsh and Millard (2001) suggest that whilst society and Literacy are changing rapidly, teachers need to be on top of their subject knowledge and continue to try and make lessons exciting and engaging for children by linking to their home life. This is quite daunting to me as a trainee teacher because Literacy, the media, different texts and popular culture are constantly adapting and I need to continuously progress my knowledge of what is current to give the best experience to children. The use of comics also overwhelms me because I have never seen these texts used in schools, however I am willing and enjoy trying new things and using new materials to continue to progress as a teacher.

Bowkett, S & Hitchmand, T. (2012) Using Comic Art to improve Speaking, Reading and Writing Abingdon: David Fulton
Dean, G. ‘Rethinking Literacy’ in Bazalgette, C. (ed.) (2010) Teaching Media in Primary Classrooms London: Sage
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
Wertham, F. (1955) Seduction of Innocent London: Museum Press
Whitehead,  F. Capey, A. Maddren, W. and Wellings, A. (1977) Children and their books The final report of the Schools Council Project on children’s reading habits 10-16 Basingstoke: Macmillan Education

Blog 3: Does the use of comics and graphic novels within the primary literacy curriculum undermine the values of the classroom or do they offer opportunities for learning?

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

Wk3 Amy and Becka comic

Pictures taken from:  http://images.google.com/

Katrina and Charlotte comic

Comic

Blog 3: Comic

Blog 2: Why should teachers care about Digital Literacy?

Today’s children are growing up in a world known as the ‘Digital Age’ where technology is swiftly developing and moving on. This constant exposure to digital media has modified the way ‘digital children’ process, communicate and use information. As a result they are extremely different from previous generations as recognised by The 21st Century Fluency Project.

The 21st Century Fluency Project emphasise that students today are limited in their ability to do well because lessons are aimed at children from another age. Therefore, it is up to teachers to become learners and discover the 21st Century digital world and its culture. Teachers are required to use the tools and skills that the children will need to have in the culture of the 21st Century. Therefore, teachers will need to adapt to the technological changes within the classroom so children can be aware of what may impact them in their future. For example, it is hard to find a company today that does not require some form of computer skill.

According to The 21st Century Fluency Project,  children today have a short attention span for traditional methods of teaching, therefore, traditional literacy should be used in conjunction with digital literacy in order to engage and motivate children, which is key to a successful lesson, as stated by Josiah (The 21st Century Fluency Project). Through banning digital media in schools, such as phones, teachers are missing out on opportunities to embrace the digital culture and incorporate it into lessons. For example, blogging is so embedded in the lifestyles of children today that teachers could use them within literacy as it is something they know and engage with.

It is important for the teacher and other educators, such as parents, to care about digital literacy because it is a part of the way children today communicate and it would be a disadvantage to not acknowledge this through the use of different forms of media literacy (The 21st Century Fluency Project). For those teachers and parents that are considered ‘immigrants’ to the digital world, it gives them a chance to explore and learn, with the children, the many opportunities that digital media has to offer.

 

The 21st Century Fluency Project: Understanding Digital Kids II