Before reading "The Conventions of Comics," I thought it would be neat to teach a graphic novel in my classroom but I didn't understand how much doing so would support the multiple intelligences and learning styles, and also introspective and analytical skills. Just as a large portion of human comminucation is nonverbal, there are many important messages that can be overlooked if one does not notice all the parts of the comic. American Born Chinese may not have the most visually stimulating or complex artwork, but it is a piece that many young adults can relate to and it teaches a good lesson: to embrace yourself and be proud of who you are. It goes without saying that students with ethnically rich backgrounds might appreciate a story like this, but I believe so would other students who maybe just feel like they do not fit in. I would probably teach this to a middle school LA class or maybe to a class where it is their first year of high school. The illustrated story is definitely a project I want to use with my students. It gives them a chance to express themselves, but even students that maybe don't have as much artistic skill can use a camera and still make an appealing work of art.
Coming from a high school that didn't have a lot of technological resources at its disposal, incorporating technology in my classroom is something I need to stay on top of. This is my first time blogging, for instance. But if there is one thing the younger generations are in tune with, it is technology and it seems like an opportune gateway to get students interested and uninhibited. I heard there's a SmartBoard class on campus and that would definitely be a good choice for any teacher, even ones (who aren't like me!) and haven't had the chance to use one in-depth. I observed a teacher at Greencastle-Antrim High School who let her students use the classroom laptops to do a similar project, which I believe were called photostories. They had to string together images that went along with a presentation they would give on background knowledge to the text. This teacher also used blogging as a tool, and I recall it really got some of the students to come out of their shells. After all, for some it is much less stressful to sit at home in your room and blog about your thoughts than saying it in front of all your peers on the spot. I want to take my students beyond Powerpoint to see what they can really do.
Becky: I came to class on Wednesday with a very similar attitude as you - I was curious about graphic novels but didn't yet understand how they could help support, as you say, "multiple intelligences and learning styles." I can now see how they can be applied to many different types of learners.
ReplyDeleteYour observations about technology in the classroom are interesting. I do not think technology has been used effectively (if at all) in my classes, and definitely not in my English classes. I did graduate from high school ten years ago (yikes!) so maybe that contributes to the lack of technology. But, just as you said, I have not had the use of technology modeled for me in the classroom, but I am very interested in learning new and improved ways to implement it.
I also did not know how complex graphic novels and comics were until I read Shannon's "Conventions of Comics." I was so excited to read that there was so much detail about them. I think incorporating them into the classroom is a great idea and I plan on using them in my future classroom as much as I can.
ReplyDeleteI feel that many students will appreciate the graphic novels because of their themes and lessons, as you said, and also because it is something different that they can read and be engaged with. I also agree with you that it is important for students to express themselves.
I agree about technology being an important aspect in the classroom as well. The generation we will be teaching will almost be expecting to use technology in the classroom. There are many great ideas of ways to incorporate it and have the students express themselves.
I too did not understand all the benefits of teaching graphic novels. I mean I wanted to teach them because they are different and fun, but I guess if I was trying to explain why I teach them "different and fun" would not really be sufficient answers. But like you said, they can reach many differnt learners. The article had so many activities that scaffolded from the novel. By using the graphic novel and then different styles of activities we could hopefully reach all the different types of learners in the classroom.
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