Comics in education

Last updated

The use of comics in education is based on the concept of creating engagement and motivation for students.

Contents

Overview

The effectiveness of comics as medium for effective learning and development has been the subject of debate since the origin modern comic book in the 1930s. [1] [2] Sones (1944) notes that comics "evoked more than a hundred critical articles in educational and non-professional periodicals." [3]

The use of comics in education would later attract the attention of Fredric Wertham [4] who noted that the use of comics in education represented "an all-time low in American science." [5]

It has been noted that the use of a narrative form such as a comic "can foster pupils' interest in science" [6] and help students remember what they have learnt [7] and providing a means of fostering discussion. [5] [8] However, it has also been noted that many educators remain "ambivalent" about the use of comic books as an educational tool. [9] Comics have also been used as a medium to communicate health care information on subjects such as diabetes. [10]

In 1978, Pendulum Press published a primer on the value of comics as an educational tool: The Illustrated Format: an Effective Teaching Tool ( ISBN   0883013487). In the US, the use of comics for education, using the Internet, can be seen on Comics in the Classroom, and the state of Maryland's Comic Book Initiative. Teacher professional development content on how teachers can integrate comics into the classroom is available through the State of California Department of Education's Brokers of Expertis website. [11]

See also

Notes

  1. Gruenberg, S (1944). "The Comics as a Social Force". Journal of Educational Sociology. 18 (4). American Sociological Association: 204–213. doi:10.2307/2262693. JSTOR   2262693.
  2. Hutchinson, K (1949). "An experiment in the use of comics as instructional material". Journal of Educational Sociology. 23 (4). American Sociological Association: 236–245. doi:10.2307/2264559. JSTOR   2264559.
  3. Sones, W (1944). "The comics and instructional method". Journal of Educational Sociology. 18 (4). American Sociological Association: 232–240. doi:10.2307/2262696. JSTOR   2262696.
  4. Wright, B (2001). Comic book nation: The transformation of Youth Culture in America . Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   0-8018-6514-X.
  5. 1 2 Dorrell, Larry; Dan B. Curtis; Kuldip R. Rampal (1995). "Book-Worms Without Books? Students Reading Comic Books in the School House". The Journal of Popular Culture. 29 (2): 223–234. doi:10.1111/j.0022-3840.1995.2902_223.x.
  6. Negrete, Aquiles; Cecilia Lartigue (September 2004). "Learning from education to communicate science as a good story". Endeavour. 28 (3): 120–124. doi:10.1016/j.endeavour.2004.07.003. PMID   15350764.
  7. Nagata, Ryoichi (October 1999). "Learning next term biochemistry through manga — helping students learn and remember, and making lectures more exciting". Biochemical Education. 27 (4). Elsevier Science Ltd.
  8. Versaci, Rocco (Nov 2001). "How Comic Books Can Change the Way Our Students See Literature: One Teacher's Perspective". English Journal. 91 (2). National Council of Teachers of English: 61–67. doi:10.2307/822347. JSTOR   822347.
  9. Norton, Bonny (Oct 2003). "The Motivating Power of Comic Books: Insights from Archie Comic Readers". Reading Teacher. 57: 140–147.
  10. Pieper, Claudia; Antonino Homobono (Sep 2000). "Comic as an education method for diabetic patients and general population". Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. 50.
  11. USA Experience

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comic book</span> Publication of comics art

A comic book , comic-magazine or simply 'comic,' is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative, usually, dialogue contained in word balloons emblematic of the comics art form.

A graphic novel is a long-form work of sequential art. The term graphic novel is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics scholars and industry professionals. It is, at least in the United States, typically distinct from the term comic book, which is generally used for comics periodicals and trade paperbacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comics</span> Creative work in which pictures and text convey information

Comics are a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically takes the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate dialogue, narration, sound effects, or other information. There is no consensus among theorists and historians on a definition of comics; some emphasize the combination of images and text, some sequentiality or other image relations, and others historical aspects such as mass reproduction or the use of recurring characters. Cartooning and other forms of illustration are the most common means of image-making in comics. Photo comics is a form that uses photographic images. Common forms include comic strips, editorial and gag cartoons, and comic books. Since the late 20th century, bound volumes such as graphic novels, comic albums, and tankōbon have become increasingly common, along with webcomics as well as scientific/medical comics.

<i>Understanding Comics</i> Comic book by Scott McCloud

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a 1993 non-fiction work of comics by American cartoonist Scott McCloud. It explores formal aspects of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements have been used. It expounds theoretical ideas about comics as an art form and medium of communication, and is itself written in comic book form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visual literacy</span> Ability to interpret information in images

Visual literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image, extending the meaning of literacy, which commonly signifies interpretation of a written or printed text. Visual literacy is based on the idea that pictures can be "read" and that meaning can be discovered through a process of reading.

In comics in the United States, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually presenting either a complete miniseries, a story arc from a single title, or a series of stories with an arc or common theme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Hart (cartoonist)</span> American comics creator (born 1969)

Tom Hart is an American comics creator and educator best known for his graphic novel Rosalie Lightning and his Hutch Owen series of comics. He is the co-founder of SAW, the Sequential Artists Workshop.

Bibliotherapy is a creative arts therapy that involves storytelling or the reading of specific texts. It uses an individual's relationship to the content of books and poetry and other written words as therapy. Bibliotherapy partially overlaps with, and is often combined with, writing therapy.

<i>Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards</i> 2005 graphic novel by Jim Ottaviani

Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards: A Tale of Edward Drinker Cope, Othniel Charles Marsh, and the Gilded Age of Paleontology is a 2005 graphic novel written by Jim Ottaviani and illustrated by the company Big Time Attic. The book tells a fictionalized account of the Bone Wars, a period of intense excavation, speculation, and rivalry in the late 19th century that led to a greater understanding of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life. Bone Sharps follows the two scientists Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Marsh as they engage in an intense competition for prestige and discoveries in the western United States. Along the way, the scientists interact with historical figures of the Gilded Age, including P. T. Barnum and Ulysses S. Grant.

<i>Making Comics</i> Book by Scott McCloud

Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels is a book by comic book writer and artist Scott McCloud, published by William Morrow Paperbacks in 2006. A study of methods of constructing comics, it is a thematic sequel to McCloud's critically acclaimed books Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics.

The history of comics has followed different paths in different parts of the world. It can be traced back to early precursors such as Trajan's Column, in Rome, Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Bayeux Tapestry.

Toon Books is a publisher of hardcover comic book early readers founded by Françoise Mouly. With titles by such creators as Geoffrey Hayes, Jay Lynch, Dean Haspiel, Eleanor Davis, and Mouly's collaborator and husband, Art Spiegelman, Toon Books promotes its line as "the first high-quality comics designed for children ages four and up".

Comics studies is an academic field that focuses on comics and sequential art. Although comics and graphic novels have been generally dismissed as less relevant pop culture texts, scholars in fields such as semiotics, aesthetics, sociology, composition studies and cultural studies are now re-considering comics and graphic novels as complex texts deserving of serious scholarly study.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-fiction comics</span> Literary genre

Non-fiction comics, also known as graphic non-fiction, is non-fiction in the comics medium, embracing a variety of formats from comic strips to trade paperbacks.

<i>Smile</i> (comic book) Graphic novel written by Raina Telgemeier

Smile is an autobiographical graphic novel written by Raina Telgemeier. It was published in February 2010 by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. The novel provides an account of the author's life, characterized by dental procedures and struggles with fitting in, from sixth grade to high school. The book originated as a webcomic, which was serialized on Girlamatic. It is most appropriate for readers between fourth and sixth grade. Smile has had a pedagogical impact, and reviews have been written on this novel.

Comic book therapy is a form of art therapy in which those undergoing rehabilitation or those who have already completed rehabilitation express their experiences through personal narratives within a comics format. The combination of text and image enables patients to process their memories and emotions through two different, yet compatible mediums. Comic book therapy can also be used in a psychotherapeutic setting, whereby clients are encouraged to read specific comic books, often surrounding topics similar to their own diagnoses. Clients are encouraged to present their thoughts and feelings they experienced while reading as well as to draw parallels with their own lived experiences based on the events that occur within the books. This is done in an effort to reach a cathartic moment of clarity and understanding of one's own life.

Comics has developed specialized terminology. Several attempts have been made to formalize and define the terminology of comics by authors such as Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey and Dylan Horrocks. Much of the terminology in English is under dispute, so this page will list and describe the most common terms used in comics.

Pop Culture Classroom is a nonprofit organization based in Denver, Colorado that teaches literacy and the arts through alternative approaches to learn and increase character development. The organization creates educational programs for underserved youth, schools, and communities using comic books, graphic novels, and related media to inspire passion for reading, art, and learning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Lawrence</span>

Julian Lawrence is a Canadian cartoonist, educator and comics scholar. A longtime member of Vancouver's DIY independent art scene, Lawrence is also an arts educator and researcher, with a specialization in using hand drawn comics as a tool to improve literacy, develop storytelling techniques and form identity. He currently resides in Middlesbrough, England, where he is a Senior Lecturer in the Comics and Graphic Novels B.A. Honours program at Teesside University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multimodal pedagogy</span> Teaching approach with different modes

Multimodal pedagogy is an approach to the teaching of writing that implements different modes of communication. Multimodality refers to the use of visual, aural, linguistic, spatial, and gestural modes in differing pieces of media, each necessary to properly convey the information it presents.