Comics in the classroom

June 28, 2016 - Early in May, educators, researchers and students from around the world gathered on the University of Calgary campus for the fifth annual Linguistic Diversity and Language Policy conference.  This year’s theme explored comics and contemporary literacy and included presentations by comic authors and academics Bart Beaty, Nick Sousanis, Jillian Tamaki and Richard Van Camp.

According to conference organizers, the aim of the one-day event was to acknowledge the important role comics play in the cultural lives of children and youth and explore their use in the classroom.

“We wanted to give teachers and researchers an opportunity to think more about the pedagogical potential of comics,” says Tom Ricento, the Werklund School of Education’s Chair, English as an Additional Language and conference co-organizer. “We also hoped to convey the idea that comics are rich multimodal texts that can be used with all students and to speak with comic creators and scholars”

Much like the Avengers, the lineup of speakers assembled by Ricento and co-organizers Catherine Burwell and Kimberly Lenters was truly first-rate.  Van Camp kicked off the day by discussing his use of the graphic novel to explore heavy hitting issues such as sexual health, gang violence prevention, forgiveness and peacemaking while Tamaki shared stories about her life in comics and the relationship of comics to the book industry, libraries and education.  During the afternoon, the Faculty of Arts’ Sousanis held a hands-on workshop on using comics in the classroom and Beaty delved into the current state of comics scholarship through his recent publication Twelve-Cent Archie before the day wrapped with a roundtable featuring all four authors.

“We chose these four speakers because they are superstars in the comic world and each of them has their own unique talents and perspectives on comics,” says Lenters.

Comic books and graphic novels are continuing to gain legitimacy as teaching tools, a trend the conference organizers endorse.

“For those who are new to English or who struggle with the printed word, their combination of visual and linguistic modes of representation may make them more easily comprehensible,” says Burwell. “The narrative and aesthetic complexity of comics also means that they are rich and engaging texts for a wide array of young people.”

Ricento, Burwell and Lenters say they all came away with a better understanding of the medium.

“I’ve used Jillian Tamaki’s books with my classes in the past, but I had no idea about the process that Jillian and her co-creator Mariko Tamaki used to produce the stories. Jillian showed us some great slides that made it clear just how interconnected the words and illustrations are – they’re inseparable, really,” says Burwell, whose research explores the pedagogical implications of youth digital culture. “These kinds of insights gave me a deeper appreciation of comic art, which I hope I can share with my classes.”

Lenters, who studies how sociocultural perspectives on literacy can enhance the literacy development of elementary school students, also found the collaboration process between Van Camp and his illustrators enlightening.  Van Camp shared how he invites specific artists to work with him according to topic, audience, and the general mood he wants to evoke in the graphic novel or comic. 

“This careful pairing speaks to the importance of the relationship between word and image in creating a synaesthetic experience for those who engage with comic and graphic novel.”

As for introducing comics into the classroom, all three academics agree the key to success is to involve the pupils themselves.

“Our best advice is for teachers to turn to their students, who are often a source of expert knowledge on how to interact with comics. Teachers can also engage students in comic-making,” says Lenters

Plans for next year’s conference are currently underway, more information can be found on the Linguistic Diversity and Language Policy conference website.