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

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Recine 24 Fig. 2.2.10. Political cartoon by Bill Schorr (Schorr). © Bill Schorr. Usage rights purchased from PoliticalCartoons.com. Fig. 2.2.11. Lions, Tigers and Bears, drawn by Jack Lawrence (Bullock & Lawrence 7). © Mike Bullock. Used in accordance with Image Comics’ terms of use. Nonetheless, the distinction between cartoony and realistic comics is not as cut and dry as it appears to be at first glance. For example, most people would look at the Romeo and Juliet ESLoriented comic book adaptation in fig. 2.2.12 and classify it as realistic. It certainly seems to match up to the TESOL scholar’s definition of realism in comics, containing the “realistic anatomy and shapes” Tiemensma mentioned when explaining the nature of comics (5). Most people would also characterize the comics I create for my ESL/EFL students as cartoony, demonstrative of the “comic effects….
Recine 25 variation of line widths” and “characters [who] tend to have rounded, simplified anatomy,” per Tiemensma (5). However, when one compares the cartoony work of my own creation in fig. 2.2.13 and 2.2.14 to the realistic sample from Romeo and Juliet that precedes it, one can see that both works contain some elements that Tiemensma would characterize as cartoony, and some that she would define as realistic. For instance, the building in the first panel of fig. 2.2.13 is realistically proportioned, much like the balcony and doorway in the second panel of the realistic comic in fig. 2.2.12. To further complicate matters, the tree leaves in fig. 2.2.14’s cartoony scene (full of humorous characters and exaggerated, rounded anatomy) are drawn perhaps more realistically than the vague, undetailed tree leaves in 2.2.12. Moreover, all three of the figures below use “variation of line widths,” a feature supposedly reserved for cartoony work alone. A quick inventory of earlier figures in this work reveals similar dichotomies. The characters in fig. 2.2.9 have realistic looking bodies with cartoony faces, the cartoony work in fig. 2.2.2 and 2.2.11 does not use much line width variation, and so on. Tiemensma’s definition, embraced by so many contemporary linguists and TESOL professionals, is not without merit. The definition certainly describes comics in their most common form; the vast majority of comic books and newspaper comic strips printed both in and outside of the English speaking world have the function, structure, spatial arrangement and style described above. Given the popularity of comics as a mass medium, one would suppose that if an ESL/EFL instructor wanted to present comics that students would readily recognize and enjoy, comics that matched Tiemensma’s description would be an excellent choice. However, some of the comics sampled above that defy Tiemensma’s characterization have a pop cultural following as well. It is also important to remember that, while there is nothing wrong with making the learning process fun, enjoyability is not necessarily the most important measure of the value of a teaching aid. Outside of the field of TESOL, comics scholars Will Eisner, Scott McCloud and Neil Cohn have created a broader, less confining definition that can free classroom comics like the ones referenced above from the limitations that
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 and 10: Recine 5 1.2. Some Apparent Advanta
Page 11 and 12: Recine 7 instruction. Clearly, comi
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: Recine 23 Fig. 2.2.9. Journey: The
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
Page 61 and 62: Recine 57 activities, my engagement
Page 63 and 64: Recine 59 proficiency students and
Page 65 and 66: Recine 61 Fig. 3.4.3. Sample from m
Page 67 and 68: Recine 63 teachers not only find co
Page 69 and 70: 4. Maximizing the Effectiveness of
Page 71 and 72: Recine 67 Fig. 4.1.2. Ancient cave
Page 73 and 74: Recine 69 Fig. 4.1.4. Mesoamerican
Page 75 and 76: Recine 71 Fig. 4.1.7. A comic strip
Page 77 and 78: 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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Comics Aren't Just For Fun Anymore: The Practical Use of Comics ...

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