Comics Aren't Just For Fun Anymore: The Practical Use of Comics ...

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Recine 6 In addition, comics are more conducive to language learning than clip art or stand-alone images. Because comics integrate images with words to tell a story, they are more engaging for students than the isolated images that so many ESL/EFL textbooks are riddled with. Moreover, clip art drawings, often minimally connected to meaningful language, give ESL/EFL instructors little to work with as they create lessons and materials. In contrast, the cohesion of story, theme, and character found in comics gives instructors a strong foundation to create interesting, meaningful lessons in the English language. To enhance this effect, comics are often connected to famous, globally appealing stories and characters rooted in popular culture. For this reason, many teachers, myself included, have used the comic book adventures of famous characters in their classrooms (fig.1.2.2). Fig. 1.2.2. From left to right: Donald Duck, Korgi artwork by Christian Slade, Batman artwork by Bob Kane, Owly artwork by Andy Runton (“Cartoon”; Slade 20; “Batman”; Runton Long Way Home 155). © Disney, Christian Slade, DC Comics, Andy Runton. Donald Duck and Batman images are public domain. Korgi and Owly images are used in accordance with Top Shelf Productions’ terms of use. 1.3. Overview of this Paper’s Content and Aims It is apparent that cartoon art of all stripes has a close relationship to ESL/EFL pedagogy, and that comics are well established as a learning aid in the ESL/EFL classroom. In light of that fact, the research presented in this thesis will not investigate whether or not comics should be used in ESL/EFL
Recine 7 instruction. Clearly, comics are already being used in the field, and will continue to be used. Instead, this paper will address the following big question: How can TESOL professionals maximize the effectiveness of comics? Drawing both from external research and my own field research, the content that follows will reveal the hidden science behind the effective use of comics in the classroom. Much of the current TESOL research and literature on comics focuses on the pleasurable nature of comics reading and the joy that popular comics bring to ESL/EFL learners. In TESOL research and literature, comics are also often lauded for the fact that they are visual, with little examination of their exact visual qualities and the educational value these visual qualities might have. While observations on comics as a means to make learning fun and visual are not without merit, this paper will take a much needed deeper look at comics as a multifaceted teaching aid. Comics are not useful simply because they are fun or simply because they are visual. A more rigorous look at pertinent research and evidence reveals that not all fun comics actually aid student learning, and that not all visuals hold equal cognitive value. The literature review and fieldwork analysis that follows reveals a set of metrics that can allow ESL/EFL teachers to choose the right comics for their students and use comics in ways that promote language learning effectively. In order to reveal the proper metrics for comics selection and answer “big question” with regards to best use of comics in ESL/EFL, this essay will address the following research questions: 1) How should TESOL professionals define comics for teaching purposes? This question will be addressed in section 2, through an examination of existing scholarly definitions of comics and a comparison of these characterizations to the actual nature of comics in ESL/EFL contexts. Addressing the inadequacies of the current definitions, a new, more helpful definition of this visual medium as it relates to TESOL pedagogy will be assembled from existing observations on the nature of comics.
Page 1 and 2: Comics Aren’t Just For Fun Anymor
Page 3 and 4: Recine I Table of Contents 1. Intro
Page 5 and 6: Recine 1 1. Introduction 1.1. The P
Page 7 and 8: Recine 3 Fig. 1.1.2. Left: Sample f
Page 9: Recine 5 1.2. Some Apparent Advanta
Page 13 and 14: Recine 9 highlight one aspect of TE
Page 15 and 16: Recine 11 2. The Definition of Comi
Page 17 and 18: Recine 13 Fig. 2.1.3. A photo colla
Page 19 and 20: Recine 15 teachers have actively em
Page 21 and 22: Recine 17 Fig. 2.2.2. Lions, Tigers
Page 23 and 24: Recine 19 as the primary or sole me
Page 25 and 26: Recine 21 Fig. 2.2.7. From left to
Page 27 and 28: Recine 23 Fig. 2.2.9. Journey: The
Page 29 and 30: Recine 25 variation of line widths
Page 31 and 32: Recine 27 Fig. 2.2.14. The cover im
Page 33 and 34: Recine 29 TESOL, the comics scholar
Page 35 and 36: Recine 31 Fig. 2.3.2. The See With
Page 37 and 38: Recine 33 language from another is
Page 39 and 40: Recine 35 identify mediums that are
Page 41 and 42: Recine 37 know their options and ma
Page 43 and 44: Recine 39 language needs (fig. 2.5.
Page 45 and 46: Recine 41 Fig. 2.5.4. A TOEFL prepa
Page 47 and 48: Recine 43 condescending. TESOL prof
Page 49 and 50: Recine 45 integral to the professio
Page 51 and 52: Recine 47 3.2. TESOL Professionals
Page 53 and 54: Recine 49 (“Peabody”), North Ca
Page 55 and 56: Recine 51 Fig. 3.2.2. Make Beliefs
Page 57 and 58: Recine 53 focus on extensive readin
Page 59 and 60: Recine 55 Fig. 3.3.1. An out-of-seq
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Recine 57 activities, my engagement
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Recine 59 proficiency students and
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Recine 61 Fig. 3.4.3. Sample from m
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Recine 63 teachers not only find co
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4. Maximizing the Effectiveness of
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Recine 67 Fig. 4.1.2. Ancient cave
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Recine 69 Fig. 4.1.4. Mesoamerican
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Recine 71 Fig. 4.1.7. A comic strip
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Recine 73 Fig. 4.1.8. Ninrteenth ce
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Recine 75 successor, picture writin
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Recine 77 4.2. Constructivism and t
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Recine 79 Fig. 4.2.3. Sequences fro
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Recine 81 by onomatopoeias, lexical
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Recine 83 Fig. 4.2.8. An educationa
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Recine 85 While constructivism was
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Recine 87 say that the human abilit
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Recine 89 Fig. 4.3.1. Timbertoes Co
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Recine 91 reinterpret. Similar expl
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Recine 93 Fig. 4.3.6. A political c
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Recine 95 similar children’s comi
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Recine 97 Fig. 4.4.2. A simply draw
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Recine 99 mindful of the fact that
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Recine 101 simplified or highly car
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Recine 103 5. Maximizing the Effect
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Recine 105 W. Howard Levie compiles
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Recine 107 that may seem distinct a
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Recine 109 of visual distinctness,
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Recine 111 and have greater utility
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Recine 113 Fig. 5.1.8. Instructions
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Recine 115 Goldsmith groups the vis
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Recine 117 visual cohesiveness and
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Recine 119 these areas, teachers wo
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Recine 121 When selecting comics, c
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Recine 123 found to promote memory
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Recine 125 Fig. 5.2.1. A comic stri
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Recine 127 input. Per Krashen, the
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Recine 129 In short, while comics c
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Recine 131 look like in comparison
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Recine 133 verbalize about in a var
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Recine 135 Fig. 5.4.5. Splash panel
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Fig. 5.4.7. Page 13 of “Creekbed
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Fig. 5.4.9. A comic strip I designe
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Recine 141 Fig. 5.4.11. An alcohol
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Recine 143 advanced section of this
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Recine 145 with European learners,
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Recine 147 of the narrative or mess
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Recine 149 can build on TESOL comic
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Recine 151 classroom, even if they
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Recine 153 be rare to find a comic
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Recine 155 Bibliography Abel, Jessi
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Recine 157 Bousquet, Mark. "In Defe
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Recine 159 Reading Association & NC
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Recine 161 Frost, Ram. “Orthograp
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Recine 163 Ibrahim, Mohammed. “Tr
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Recine 165 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Ser
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Recine 167 2005. Web. 5 Sep. 2012.
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Recine 169 Web. 13 Oct. 2012. Retal
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Recine 171 Web. 06 Oct. 2012. “St
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Recine 173 Wildman, George, and Kar
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