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

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Recine 34 medium is to children’s books, or printed text, or any other variation of visual language. Moreover, like Somali, Hmong, English, etc., the boundaries of comics, children’s books, and other visual languages are determined in part by the users and creators of those visual languages. ESL/EFL pedagogy consultant Stephen Cary further builds on Cohn’s notion of comics as a social construct. Through his work with countless students and instructors, Cary compiles a list of the art forms most commonly accepted as comics by ESL/EFL learners and instructors: single panel cartoons, newspaper-format comic strips, comic books, and book-length graphic novels (Cary 10-11). With this in mind, those who work in the field of TESOL can use the two definitions described in 2.2 and 2.3 to treat comics as the social artifact they are, defining comics in a flexible way that addresses the varying expectations of ESL/EFL students from many different cultures. Elements of all of the characterizations of comics above can be combined to create an appropriately useful definition of comics for TESOL purposes: Comics are simplified or abstracted images, sometimes combined with words, that tell a story or demonstrate a concept (McCloud Understanding 28, 70-73; Eisner 16). Comics employ a variety of conventions, most commonly word balloons, captions, multiple images, and narrative structure (Tiemensma 4-6). Currently, the most universally recognized forms of comics are single panel cartoons, newspaper-format comic strips, comic books, and book-length graphic novels, but such perceptions may vary from learner to learner (Cary 10-11; Cohn Early Writings 14). This new definition, assembled from a multidisciplinary coalition of linguistics, TESOL scholarship, comics scholarship, and classroom pedagogy, can now truly address the needs of TESOL professionals as they select (or create) comics material for their classroom. It references Tiemensma’s cultural sensibilities about what a comic should look like, allowing teachers to know what expectations students generally have of comics. It also references Eisner, McCloud, and Cohn’s description of the functional structure of comics, so that teachers can recognize how comics transmit messages and
Recine 35 identify mediums that are similar to comics and may have comparable educational value. Finally, it uses Cohn and Cary’s notion of comics as a social artifact. This helps teachers realize that, while certain art forms are more likely or less likely to be recognized as comics by students, perceptions of the boundaries of the comics medium may vary by culture and by individual. 2.5. Case Studies in the Usefulness of Comics Classification to ESL/EFL Instructors By relying so heavily on the TESOL and comics scholarship definitions created before it, this TESOL-tailored definition is not a superior replacement to earlier characterizations of comics. Rather, instructors who are interested in effective TESOL comics pedagogy would do well to use all three definitions together. The definition of comics for TESOL purposes completes the earlier two definitions and allows them to work together, while the earlier two definitions in turn give additional meaning and dimension to the summarized information in this third and final definition. To show you how these three definitions can be applied to actual teaching practice, I will now describe a number of short case studies from my own teaching experiences, instances where I utilized the information in the three definitions above to better serve my students through the use of comics. The definition of comics derived from TESOL scholarship and linguistics has helped me properly accommodate the tastes and sensibilities of individual students of mine when giving them comics for the purposes of enjoyment and reading practice. In South Korea, numerous students of mine, upon learning that I draw and collect comics, let me know that they too had an interest in comic books, and asked to borrow American comics from my collection. Realizing that young comics fans tend to read typical comics from large publishing houses, affiliated with pop culture and characterized by the features outlined by Tiemensma, I chose to give my students comics where character language generally appeared in word balloons, narration typically appeared in captions, and stories were told in multiple panel-format. After all, my students were not asking to experience new or unusual kinds of
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 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: Recine 33 language from another is
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
Page 79 and 80: Recine 75 successor, picture writin
Page 81 and 82: Recine 77 4.2. Constructivism and t
Page 83 and 84: Recine 79 Fig. 4.2.3. Sequences fro
Page 85 and 86: Recine 81 by onomatopoeias, lexical
Page 87 and 88: 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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