Skip to main content

On Graphic Novels in the Classroom

I have had a fortunately diverse and stimulating experience with graphic novels over the years. While I'm not an avid consumer of them, I always try to read any that I find interesting when I get the chance. Most recently, I read a series of volumes called "Saga" by Brian K. Vaughn. It quickly became my new favorite graphic novel because of its literary power and consistent quality. This connects to my overall feeling that graphic novels should definitely be considered for classroom use. Sometimes, I feel like the resistance or apprehension toward graphic novels as a valid/useful form of literature comes from a lack of knowledge of them. Just as much literary effort is put into a graphic novel as a written novel. The scripts for each issue have to be written out. Every action, every word, and every development of the narrative is dictated by the writer(s) in the scripting process. The illustration serves as an extra layer to communicate those aspects.

Just because the majority of reading involved is through dialogue doesn't mean that the graphic novel format doesn't hold the same usage or power. They have just as much capability to speak to readers in deeply meaningful ways. All of the major elements of teaching fiction to students are present: theme, characterization, plot, conflict, setting, etc. And the aspect that I'm sure most people will mention in their blog posts is that graphic novels excite the students more. Not just because of the pictures and the ease of reading, but also because it's different. Many students might not have any experience with the medium at all; it would be refreshing for them to experience something new. This furthers critical growth and development. Students will be able to open up their minds to a whole new world of reading they might not be familiar with or were hesitant to tackle.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppresed"

I find “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” to be a fascinating document because of how widely read, shared, and discussed. That specifically, is fascinating because from my own personal experience (as well as observation from and of others), there many teachers who still follow this “banking” method of instruction. This material and philosophy has been around for a long time, yet some teachers don’t see the problem with the banking dichotomy. The idea of rejecting that notion is something that I’ve been very passionate about. So much so, in fact, that it’s one of the main reasons that I have decided to pursue teaching. I don’t believe for one second that my intellectual capability and intelligence is above any of my students. Nor do I believe that my knowledge is superior. I think where the superiority complex stems from improper cultivation of teachers is many of them were trained during a period of curriculum that was based on knowledge of the world and facts, as opposed to skills and un...
Post a Comment
Read more

Common Core State Standards

My experience with Common Core begins with my high school education, where I was able to see firsthand the standards reforms happening in Washington State. At the time, the idea of Common Core State Standards was off-putting for a majority of my fellow students. We seemed to collectively agree that the standards appeared to be restricting our learning and creativity. But over time, as the standards have continued to be developed, and the implementation of those standards evolves, Common Core has become more palatable for me. The reading explains the goal of Common Core best when they quote, "standards provide a definition of what is possible, but standards are not curriculum documents". I think this sentiment is extremely important in understanding what the goal of Common Core standards are. Though my personal philosophy about education wouldn't include something like the state standards, they are a necessary and deeply integrated part of the public school system. Future...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mass Media and Popular Culture in the Classroom

I thought this article brought up some really interesting and important ideas regarding popular media in the classroom – specifically, how to incorporate it in a useful and engaging way for students. The text’s ultimate purpose seemed to evoke Freire’s ideas about students using their literacy as a voice to enact social change. In the context of the article, this relates to mass media (books, news, film, television, social media, etc.) because the text makes the point that it is not neutral, and that there are messages being conveyed to the consumers of mass media from all perspectives and points of view. Learning to navigate a world in which information is constantly being poured into us through mass media is difficult and confusing, even for an adult. It must be even harder for adolescents, who are growing up and being cultivated by this mass media. However, I don’t think this should be the main focus of incorporating popular culture into classroom. I would choose to teach pop...
Post a Comment
Read more