Comic Books in the Classroom
By
JENNIFER KATHRYN CONSIDINE
Bachelors of Arts in English, University of Wisconsin- Madison, 2004
A Paper Submitted to
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS IN INSTRUCTION
WINONA, MINNESOTA
2010
Copyright 2010
Jennifer Kathryn Considine
Abstract
Today comic books are becoming popular young adult literature found in public and school libraries and the homes of many adolescents but rarely in the classroom. Because of their popularity and potential to engage readers, comic books have the potential to be useful classroom materials. Incorporating comic books in the classroom involves complex multimodal literacy, which combines audio, visual, and spatial modes. When comic books are used in the classroom, literacy engagement and interpretation is strengthened.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Overview
Comic books, cartoons, manga (a Japanese graphic novel), and graphic novels are popular young adult literature all over the world. Today, many Asian students, especially in Japan and South Korea, read, study, and dream of writing manga (Callahan, 2009). Americans are flocking to see Hollywood's movies originated from comic books (Weiner, 2004). The popularity of the graphic novel is expanding in that they are found in public and school libraries and the homes of many young adults. Yet, no matter how popular, comic books are, they are rarely found in classroom curriculum (Carter, 2009). Because of their popularity and possibility for engaging readers of every level, comic books have the potential to be useful classroom materials (Yang, 2008).
The Research Question
Comic books have many stereotypes. Many believe that they are not real literature. Some believe that they cannot enhance literacy. Others believe that they are a genre not included in classroom curriculum (Carter 2009). Due to a lack of familiarity and availability of resources, teachers do not use comic books in their classrooms, according to Callahan (2009). They fear inappropriateness and some perceive comics as popular literature, instead of 'real' literature.
Yet there is real value to using comic books in the classroom. When they are used in the classroom, Liu (2004) found that comic strips enhance the performance of low-level students. Edwards (2009) found that comic books combined with free voluntary reading positively affects students' motivation, vocabulary, and comprehension ability. Educators can teach students to become conscious and critical of the ways in which they interpret a text. Teachers can teach students to become more literate with a wide range of multimodal texts, such as comics, but these are not typical classroom materials (Jacobs, 2007). Can comic books as a genre of multimodal literacy be effectively integrated into school English classroom curriculum?
Personal Connection
From 2004-2008, I taught English Language Learners (ELLs) in South Korea. During that time, I also had the chance to teach two one- week ELL camps in Japan. These two countries have a long history and culture with comic books. University students have the chance to study the language, writing, and drawing used to produce comic books. Living in Asia, I watched many of my students read manga during their free-time and even hope to be graphic novel artists. Personally, many of my close friends grew up reading and continue to read comic books.
In the United States adults are flocking to the theaters to watch movies made from their favorite comic books: Superman (2006), Spider-Man 3 (2007), The Dark Knight (2008), Watchmen (2009) and more. Many young adults are reading the epic graphic novel, Bone by Jeff Smith or following the Maximum Ride mangas by James Patterson.
Recently, I attended a Japanese manga book club, Club Otaku, at the Portage Public Library (in my hometown). Otaku is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interest, particularly in anime (Japanese animation that has also been adopted by some artists in America and other countries), manga, and video games. At the meeting, I had the chance to ask many members about their interests and why they attended while Miyazaki’s Oscar winning Spirited Away (2001) was playing in the background. While talking, students regularly told me to notice specific creative aspects of the movie. I heard: “This artist is amazing,” “This character is my favorite,” “This scene is so creative.” The students were actively watching the movie and critiquing various parts. That is when I realized that learning and teaching graphic novels is not just reading; it is studying a language, learning to draw, and enhancing vocabulary. With the help of the public library, the members of Club Otaku have recently had Japanese language and graphic artist guest speakers. I, personally, saw the potential of comic books in the literacy of adolescents and believe comic books have the potential to introduce literacy in a new light.
Significance of the Question
Chun (2009) references the PISA 2000 report (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], 2004) “that surveyed 15-year-olds in 43 countries [and] found that students’ levels of reading engagement were more important than their socioeconomic backgrounds in predicting their literacy performance. The implication of this is all too clear—'cultivating a student’s interest in reading can help overcome home disadvantages'” (Chun, 2009). Visual literacy is one of many options in creating reader interest. When given the choice, many students choose visual literature like comic books and graphic novels; text that is not often used in a classroom. Teaching a comic book requires multiple methods and strategies not used with typical textbooks. In researching new teaching strategies for integrating comic books into the classroom, I hope to inspire teachers to instill a love of reading in their students; as well as, provide students with exciting reading.
Terms: Before examining specific research on this topic, it is important to clarify the meaning of important terms that relate to this topic.
Captions: boxes in a comic containing a variety of text elements, including scene-setting, description, etc.
Cartoon: a sketch or drawing, usually humorous, as in a newspaper or periodical, symbolizing, satirizing, or caricaturing some action, subject, or person of popular interest.
Comic Book/ Graphic Novel: There are a variety of definitions used for graphic novel and comic book. Yang (2008) says, “I define 'graphic novel' as simply 'thick comic book.' Basically, a comic book is a a magazine with one or more comic strips, while a graphic novel is a longer compilation. For the purpose of this paper, the term comic books will refer to both.
Comic Strip: a sequence of drawings, either in color or black and white, relating a comic incident, an adventure or mystery story, etc. They are often serialized, typically having dialogue printed in balloons, and usually printed as a horizontal strip in daily newspapers.
English Language Learners (ELL)/ English as a Second Language (ESL) Learner: a student studying English when it is not his/her first language. For the purpose of this paper, the term English Language Learners (ELL) will refer to both.
Frame: The lines and borders that contain the panels.
Gutter: The space between framed panels.
Manga: a Japanese graphic novel, typically intended for adults, characterized by highly stylized art.
Multimodal literacy/ Multiple literacy: the many, varied, and often, combined ways in which people read and write, academically and in daily life (Hammond, 2009). For the purpose of this paper, the term multimodal literacy will refer to both.
Panel: A distinct segment of the comic, containing a combination of image and text in endless variety.
Speech balloons: These enclose dialogue and come from a specific speaker’s mouth; they vary in size, shape, and layout and can alternate to depict a conversation.
Visual literacy: the ability to apprehend or interpret pictures or other visual images.
Limitations
The research on integrating graphic novels into the classroom is recent and somewhat limited (Callahan 2009). There are many reported benefits but only a few empirical studies. These studies focus often focus on a particular group of readers, such as English Language Learners or deaf. The studies show comic books as a way to differentiate for remedial readers but not for every student in the classroom. Due to today's popular culture, fans, authors, illustrators, and librarians are starting to collect information making some reviews and resources easier to find (Callahan, 2009, p. 5). Due to the lack of studies, visual and multi-modal literacy research is introduced as an overarching strategy to the use of comic books.
Summary
A new literacy in the form of multimodal literacy will be introduced. Multimodal education incorporates audio, visual, and interpretation literacy. Educators have tried using comic books as part of a multimodal literacy and have experienced success (Callahan, 2009; Edwards, 2009; Hammond, 2009; Liu, 2004). Comic books are popular forms of literature attracting audiences from a variety of age ranges and cultures. Yet most teachers feel uncomfortable teaching this medium in their classroom. Chapter Two of this paper will outline methods for integrating multimodal literacy, in the forms of comics and comic conventions, into the English classroom with the goal of improved literacy.
CHAPTER 2
Literature Review
Overview
Multimodal literacy is the many, varied, and often, combined ways in which people read and write, academically and in daily life (Hammond, 2009). There are key ways for educators and students to strengthen their understanding of multimodal literacy (Sheridan-Thomas, 2007). Educators have tried using comic book curriculum as part of a multimodal literacy with the intent incorporating complex multimodal literacy into their classroom (Jacobs, 2007). Reluctant readers and kids love comic books, but researchers are increasingly finding that comics increase library circulation, create new readers, help English Language Learners, motivate male readers, and assist gifted and talented students. (Carter, 2009) Visual learners' literacy and engagement increases when comic books are used in the classroom (Chun, 2009; Edwards, 2009 ). Audio learners' literacy and interpretation is strengthened by comic books read-alouds (Ranker, J. 2007).
Research Question Restated
Potentially, researchers are finding that educators can teach students to become more literate with a wide range of multimodal texts but fear incorporating an example like comics into the classroom (Callahan, 2009; Sheridan-Thomas, 2007). Engaging students in multimodal literacy and comic books has the potential to increase vocabulary comprehension, reading engagement, literary interpretation, and more. Because of the vocabulary, literacy, and engagement enhancement, the research cited in this chapter attempts to answer this research question: Can comic books as a genre of multimodal literacy be effectively integrated into classroom curriculum?
New Literacy
Multimodal education incorporates visual, audio, and interpretation into literacy. The visual component is not a regular component in Language Arts curriculum and so deemed “new.”
Defining Multimodal Literacy. Multimodal literacy is the many, varied, and often, combined ways in which people read and write, academically and in daily life. Multimodal literacy includes print texts, such as novels, magazines, schedules, food containers, etc., and non-print media, such as music, the visual arts, film, and television. Multimodal readers rely on a combination of modes, thus multimodal (Sheridan-Thomas, 2007). Examples of combinations can include words and images to make meaning of illustrations, stories linked to other books and media, personal connections to readers' lives, experiences from fictional to real world, and bridges to theatrical play. Multimodal literacy is more than just sharing information or multiple texts (Hammond, 2009). This literacy extends to include interpretation making it varied, situated, and socially constructed. This type of literacy looks at how cultural identity is expressed through dress, body language, and actions that signify underlying beliefs and values of a community. Thus, multimodal literacy is far more than understanding the words in a text (Sheridan-Thomas, 2007).
Teaching multimodal literacy. As people's literacy changes and adapts with their cultural identity, some argue that education has to adapt to accommodate to the new varieties of literacy. To incorporate the curriculum of multimodal literacy into classrooms, Chun (2009) explains, “The PISA 2000 report (OECD(Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], 2004) highlighted that a key indicator of reading engagement and achievement among the 15-year-olds surveyed is the diversity of their reading content” (p.145-146).
Combining multimodal literacy into educational curriculum requires an extensive shift in mentality. Benson (2008) studied how students responded to a multimodal Language Arts course in an urban eleventh and twelfth grade during the 2004-2005 school year. The teacher created assignments that blurred the lines between print and nonprint. Benson found that students did not respond positively to every multimodal assignment but also did not reject every multimodal assignment. Students struggled in understanding assignments of nonprint. For example, one student, Cassandra, thought that literacy should be somewhat painful and include extensive reading from textbooks. She had very limited expectations for a Language Arts course. Cassandra enjoyed film and media projects, like creating a storyboard for her writing, but did not consider it educational. With many different responses Benson concludes, “The cases illustrate a need to not only articulate course goals for students but also to articulate the place of all texts, print and nonprint, in students' lives” (p.666). Educators need to modify their own thinking and expectations about multimodal literacy before incorporating it into their classroom (Benson, 2008).
In researching student beliefs of multimodal literacy, Sheridan-Thomas (2007) found key ways for educators and students to strengthen understanding. For example, focusing on multimodal literacy from the course beginning opened up a perspective that extended throughout the course. Also, educators' understandings of multimodal literacy was enhanced by regular interaction with current adolescents. From these findings, Sheridan-Thomas expects that modeling of multimodal literacy practices will help educators move towards application in their classroom. By providing numerous opportunities for educators to create, deliver, and reflect on multimodal lessons, students will most likely improve their ability to apply it to their own teaching. Since multimodal education includes interpretation, teachers have the opportunity to shape the lens in which their students view literacy. There are numerous benefits to implementing a solid multimodal view (Sheridan-Thomas, 2007).
Teaching literary interpretation involves careful classroom planning. One such example is the Ghiso and McGuire (2007) research. They observed a kindergarten teacher read books with sparse verbal text aloud to students. While reading the picture books, the classroom teacher supported the development of visual analysis strategies, read all available print, discussed character relationships, expanded on links to students' lives, and helped develop coherent narratives. Over the course of one year, data was collected through student responses to picture books. Much was required of the reader (in this case the kindergarten teacher): determining relationships, inferring emotional states, and pulling together plots. When this was happening in the classroom, picture books with sparse verbal text support the development of an active literary response. The students can, in turn, extend their acquired interpretive skills to all varieties of texts. This multimodal strategy of interpreting, viewing, and discussing develops an interactive and engaging form of literacy (Ghiso & McGuire, 2007).
Comics as multimodal literacy. Sequential art narratives are not new to education considering cave drawings, hieroglyphics, tapestries, and stained glass. From newspaper comic strips in the 1880s, to the debut of Superhero comics in 1938 with Action Comics #1, to the expansion of mangas in Asia, comic books also have a long history. Today, reluctant readers and kids love comic books, but their audience is not remaining limited to these two groups. Researchers are increasingly finding that comics increase library circulation, create new readers, help English Language Learners, motivate male readers, and assist gifted and talented students. Educators should consider implementing this multimodal material into their curriculum (Carter, 2009). When doing so, teachers should realize that comics are not a separate genre but an art form in every genre expanding beyond the stereotypes of merely text-based reading material and popular entertainment to involve complex multimodal literacy (Carter, 2009; Jacobs, 2007).
Regularly, educators are seeing comic books stimulate critical, engaged readers. When reading the comics aloud, vocal inflections (caused by reading bold words and emotional reactions) and character voices add an audio element to the material. The layout of panels, gutter space, colors and images add a visual element. Dialogue, narration, and monologues all present different sets of language offering many possibilities for teaching writing and grammar. If multimodal reading is a process in which there are multiple ways to make meaning, then using comic books to engage students in linguistic, audio, visual, gestural, and spatial modes is clearly a multimodal strategy. Reading comics is not merely word-based literacy, but a material to teach cultural awareness and interpretation. This multimodal strategy is essential in a classroom that emphasizes the need to read the world in which we live (Jacobs, 2007). Comic books are an engaging element in a multimodal classroom (Carter, 2009; Chun, 2009; Jacobs, 2007).
Comics in the classroom
This next section aims at showing the reactions educators and researchers are finding when comics are incorporated into the classroom.
Teacher’s response to comics. Gene Yang (2008) is currently an educator and graphic novel author. He personally discovered how the comic medium can be a powerful, educational tool in his Algebra class. Because of his school technologist position, he was absent every two to three weeks, requiring that a substitute come into his classroom. Yang started creating comic strip lecture notes and asked the substitute to pass them out to students. The comic notes were a powerful educational tool because the comics were visual and students love visual media. In comparison to other educational tools, like film and media, comics are permanent, and the students could reference back to them over and over again (Yang, 2008).
While Yang has explained some of the benefits, many Language Arts teachers are reluctant to engage students with this new medium. In a study, Callahan (2009) interviewed eleven 7th-12th grade Language Arts teachers about their perceptions of graphic novels. The results revealed that the participants are not using comics as educational tools mainly because of their lack of familiarity and availability of resources. The participants also explained their fear of inappropriateness and outside perceptions that graphic novels are not ‘real’ literature. Teachers can misunderstand that all comic books are produced for children thinking that cartoon images or drawings signify age- or grade-level appropriateness. Yet such examples refuting this stereotype would include Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Maus by Art Spiegelman. Persepolis is the true story of Satrapi's childhood in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution. Maus is a graphic interview with his father about his experiences as a Holocaust survivor. Spiegelman portrays the figures as animals (the Jews are mice, the Germans cats, the Poles pigs, the French frogs, etc.). These are just two examples of comic books requiring advanced historical background and mature readers. Researchers and educators are not suggesting that teachers give up existing curriculum or teach comic books in isolation. Carter (2009) recommends adding comic books as a feature to current classrooms when looking for genre connections (Callahan, 2009; Carter, 2009).
Student response to comics. While teachers may fear adding such new material into the classroom, the student response is much in favor of the addition. In Hammond's (2009) reader response study, twenty-three 12th graders read American Born Chinese by Gene Yang in their Political Science class. During the class, students were emotionally engaged to images, especially when discussing stereotypes. More specifically, the characters Chin-Kee, Wei-Chen, and American teenagers were discussed and appreciated the most. This response to image stereotypes could not be elicited from a text novel. On one hand, students did not make connections between Yang’s images and parody in literature or extend it to work in other classes. However, they were able to make connections to the current classroom subjects of immigration, racism, and identity. The evidence from this study supports teaching comic books and conventions to supplement curriculum in improving multimodal literacy (Hammond, 2009).
Educational benefits of comics
The following section presents research showing that comics improve student engagement, reading comprehension, vocabulary enrichment, and interpretation skills in students of all learning levels.
Comics and student engagement. Chun, (2009) advocates for comic books as a method of introducing multimodal literacy and their potential to engage students. Chun quotes, “PISA 2000 report ([OECD], 2004) that surveyed 15-year-olds in 43 countries found that students’ levels of reading engagement were more important than their socioeconomic backgrounds in predicting their literacy performance” (p.145). The use of comics is one recommended strategy of engaging students. A middle school study (Edwards, 2009) measured whether reading comics while participating in free voluntary reading time (FVR) impacted the intrinsic motivation, reading comprehension, and vocabulary development of seventh graders. The findings suggest that reading comics and free voluntary reading positively affects the intrinsic motivation, vocabulary, and comprehension ability of seventh graders. Chun reports on another field study in which an ELL teacher designed a unit using the comic book, Maus, by Spiegelman. Chun explains that although the teacher still had a difficult time getting her students to read independently, students’ reading engagement drastically increased. Comic books are high-interest stories aiding literacy development, and, with a multimodal strategy on essential topics, they can deepen student engagement (Chun, 2009; Edwards, 2009).
Weiner (2004) explains that because of the popularity of superheroes, educators, in the past, have used comics to entice reluctant readers. Well-done graphic novels can enrich student experiences as a new way of imparting information by transitioning to more print intensive works, essentially leading readers into prose books. Literary adaptations of classics can also be used as an introduction or compliment to works, or merely provide worthwhile reading material on their own. Weiner gives examples of engaging students in such strategies as deleting the dialogue and letting students visually create their own story. Or for a verbal approach, delete the images and let the students orally discuss the actions of the characters that go along with the dialogue. Carter, (2009) teaches students the conventions of comic book scripting in which students create a script based on a generic prompt and pass their scripts to partners across the room who must draw panels guided by nothing more than the authors’ written words. Essentially, comics provide a new and engaging approach for reading and writing. These engaging multimodal strategies using comic books and sequential art bridge the gap between school and life, between the narrow notions of literacy and the broad ideas of success in today's society (Carter, 2009; Weiner, 2004).
Effect of comics on visual learners. Comic books incorporate a visual element that attracts an audience of students often deemed reluctant readers. English Language Learners (ELLs) and students requiring American Sign Language (ASL) learn to read and write in English without a basis in oral language (Smetana, Odelson, Burns, & Grisham, 2009). ASL is a visual language that does not even have a written component. When deaf students learn to read in English, they must learn a new symbolic system without a spoken definition. Like ELLs, they must learn the language as they learn to read and write without receiving the support of oral interactions or hearing the sounds of the spoken language. Comic books with their visual interpretations offer meaning to the written language that mere text cannot do (Smetana, Odelson, Burns, & Grisham, 2009).
Liu (2004) at the University of Arizona gathered data on the effect of comics on English Language Learners' reading comprehension. Researcher, Jun Liu, discovered that if the text and the illustration were well integrated, together presenting the information twice, performance was enhanced. Liu's results show that using comic strips significantly enhanced the performance of low-level students but had little impact on the performance of high-level participants. The visual component thus added an extra support for some ELLs (Liu, 2004).
Four educators (Smetana, Odelson, Burns, & Grisham, 2009), two university teacher educators and two high school teachers of the deaf, wanted to try a new approach for an English summer school class for deaf students struggling with age appropriate literacy skills. Together they created a multimodal curriculum entirely of comic books. The teachers had high expectations but were initially disappointed when in-class discussion remained limited. After close evaluation, the teachers realized that the ASL students chose to read during all of their free time and form impromptu reading groups outside of class to recommend and discuss what they were reading. Comic books provided them with the opportunity to read, reflect, and interact. The teachers highly recommend that all English teachers take a look at the advantages provided by a unit on comic books and graphic novels. Smetana, Odelson, Burns, & Grisham (2009) explain, “Comics and graphic novels appeal to today’s visual learner because they provide unique and interesting combinations of text and graphics that engage large numbers of students” (p.239). The components in comic books are beneficial to visual learners (Smetana, Odelson, Burns, & Grisham).
Effects of comics on audio learners. There are many multimodal strategies when considering teaching comic books. Ranker (2007) followed a first grade teacher of English Language Learners as she read aloud comics in her classroom. Before opening the pages of the comic, the teacher discussed problems and solutions. During the reading, the teacher talked through the dialogue and pictures helping the students to understand the central problem of the plot. She also paused at key points to ask students to identify the conflicts. The students learned about story structure and dialogue while following along. After the reading, students were allowed to include drawings into their writing. Talking though the comics, gave the students in the classroom interesting, motivating reading material that engaged them in reading, thinking, and discussing. Ranker recognized that reading aloud, interpreting, and lessons all represented multimodal literacy (Ranker, 2007).
Using comics to teach interpretation. Multimodal literacy expands texts to include interpretations of cultural identity and community values. Perret (2004) argues that comic interpretations can be a convenient and enjoyable means of helping students grasp how text may be interpreted several ways, that the text itself is an interpretation, and that the culture of the time or place influences shaping and understanding. Perret analyzed multiple comic representations of Shakespearean plays, including Othello, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, for art used on the covers and incorporated pictures. Students often focus on the story line when reading comic interpretations of Shakespeare, but by looking at the color, composition of a page, and shape of panel, comics have the potential to teach the art of interpretation. Shakespearean plays were meant to be seen and heard- something that a comic interpretation offers. Used imaginatively, comic books can help students begin to recognize multiple interpretations of a specific text (Perret, 2004; Sheridan-Thomas, 2007).
Summary
Multimodal education involves curriculum that engages students in a new type of literacy. Multimodal literacy combines audio, visual, and spatial modes. It includes what people read and write, academically and in daily life (Hammond, 2009). Potentially, educators can strengthen their own understanding of multimodality and teach students to become more literate with a wide range of multimodal texts (Sheridan-Thomas, 2007). Strategically using comic books in the classroom involves complex multimodal literacy (Jacobs, 2007). Today, comics increase library circulation, create new readers, help English Language Learners, motivate male readers, and assist gifted and talented students (Carter, 2009). Visual learners' literacy and engagement increases when comic books are used in the classroom (Chun, 2009; Edwards, 2009). Audio learners' literacy and interpretation is strengthened by comic books read aloud (Ranker, 2007). With such examples of benefits, comic books have great potential for a Language Arts classroom. With all of this in mind, an action research proposal is presented in Chapter Three. This proposal includes engaging readers in multimodal literacy and comic books through classroom activities.
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