week 4 - Comics and graphic novels in the primary classroom.

Does the use of comics and graphic novels within the primary literacy curriculum undermine the values of the classroom or do they offer opportunities for learning?

FutureLab (2010) believes emerging popular culture should not be ignored, as it holds such paramount importance in society and within children's lives. The report further explains that teachers feel inadequately equipped, and lack confidence in being able to assess new mediums of technology and communication.

In addition, Comic books and graphic novels are such new mediums of literature,  and have been seen as aiding the child's literacy attainment and awareness (DVLA/UKLA, 2005). They expand that exposing the children to varying modes of literature, allows them to become critical readers, and add more experience when inferring and deducing, as they have a larger metaphoric bank of experiences, texts, images and layouts to draw from. 

In comparison, visual Literacy is seen as a threat to the current standard english lessons, which aims to encourage children to  dissect language and recognise its many patterns, and themes (Millard & Marsh 2001). The authors argue that comics include colloquial language which should not be encourage or be used in educational settings, as children may then hold it with high importance, and begin to imitate the language they read. 

Furthermore, when designing my own comic, I considered the educational values it has, so that I could understand the implications for me as a student teacher. I found that I could be more creative with the story line, as the possible themes were endless and self initiated. Blair, H. A. and Sanford, K. (2004) explains that this is particularly effective for boys, as they can select a story that is of interest to them, and explore issues they are unsure about. Secondly, I appreciate that the creative layout allows children to include speech and though bubbles which, in my experience, children often struggle with including such features in the parallel lines of their literacy books. 

In comparison, I acknowledged that the design of the comic encourages children to focus on the aesthetics of their work, rather than the literary content, although if used in conjunction with an art project, this could work well.

Bibliography

Blair, H. A. and Sanford, K. (2004) 'Morphing Literacy: Boys reshaping their school based literacy practices'. Language Arts. 81, (6), July 2004.

FutureLab. (2010) Digital Literacy across the curriculum: (sections3.1-3.4 Digital literacy in practice) (See online). 

Millard, E. & Marsh, J. (2001) ‘Sending Minnie the minx home: comics and reading choices’ Cambridge Journal of Education.

QCA/UKLA (2005) More than words 2: Creating Stories on page and screen.  London: QCA.

Does the use of comics and graphic novels within the primary literacy curriculum undermine the values of the classroom or do they offer opportunities for learning?

Children grow up surrounded by multimodal texts, meaning that by the time they experience texts in school they expect to read a mixture of images and print, and can readily draw on this experience to interpret and create multimodal texts. (UKLA 2005)

Comic book and graphic novel literature are controversial modes of texts, which attract a lot of criticism when their place within the primary classroom is discussed. “Visual literacy, except in its highest manifestations in the work of designers and classical artists, is rarely granted status within our education system.” (Millard & Marsh 2001:27) One of the arguments being that children the quality of the reading manner is not up to scratch with that of which children deserve. (Millard & Marsh)  However, many theorists believe that if a teacher purposely selects a comic or graphic novel with suitable content for the class then use of this text can be highly effective. (Stafford 2009) Therefore those who are now using these modes of texts are showing how diverse they are and the range of reading experiences they offer hugely enhance reading skills rather than undermine them. (Education Scotland)

Stafford discusses the importance of transmitting to children the literature within comic books is just conveyed in a different way but is still a ‘storytelling vehicle’. (Stafford 2009) The “flexibility” of a comic medium, as it’s well described by Education Scotland, is also used in graphic novels and allows complex stories and ideas to be presented in a different way. Layouts vary in their amount of text and this “versatility permits universal reader appeal”. (Education Scotland)

These modes of text do offer huge opportunities for learning as it firstly requires the pupils to read the pictures extremely closely to gain narrative information. Children need to be given time to absorb the page, look at the artwork and interpret it and talk about it in their own time. (Stafford 2009) It is a different form of reading and although it may not be the traditional form of continuous prose “the complexities of layout of comics and the reading skills demanded by them are by no means unchallenging.” (Millard & Marsh 2001:33) Within writing the scripting process can be introduced and children can see that this medium starts with writing, not drawing (Stafford 2009) and that a  “a variety of text cohesive devices: language, design, image and colour” need to be used in order to create a text of this sort.

Bibliography

·      Learning and Teaching Scotland: Graphic Novels in the Curriculum. [http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/g/graphicnovels/intro.asp] accessed 30/01/2013.

·      Millard, E. & Marsh, J. (2001) ‘Sending Minnie the minx home: comics and reading choices’ Cambridge Journal of Education

·      QCA/UKLA (2005) More than words 2: Creating Stories on page and screen.  London: QCA

·      Stafford, T. (2009) ‘Teaching Comics’ in Duncan, D. (2009) Teaching children’s literature: Making stories work in the classroom. Abingdon: Routledge.

Week 3

Comics and Graphic Novels

Does the use of comics and graphic novels within the primary literacy curriculum undermine the values of the classroom or do they offer opportunities for learning?

 

Before engaging with this seminar and readings I had not thought about using comics in the classroom, however, from engaging with a comic and the potential educational uses they have, my imagination has been broadened with the purposeful uses of comics and graphic novels offering a broad number of opportunities for learning.

‘Comic books are credible literature’ (Stafford, 2009:120) and offer opportunities in specific areas of the curriculum. ‘It is frequently assumed that only those who are unable to read the words have a need for illustration’ (Millard & Marsh, 2001:27) however Education Scotland disagrees stating ‘graphic novels/comics enhance rather than undermine reading skills’. They can help children to read both print and visual elements, teachers interviewed by Millard and Marsh (2001) ‘incorporated work based on comic characters and the linguistic features of comics into their literacy curriculum’ (page 33).

Features of Comics such as character profiles provide experience of descriptive language, interviews provide strong examples of open questions which could be applied to activities such as hot seating, and not to mention the endless uses of comic strips provide examples of onomatopoeia, inference and deduction, and the use of speech. These features meet many curriculum requirements; children in year 1 are required to use ‘organisational features [...] including captions and illustrations’ and in key stage 2 are required to use inference and deduction (DfEE, 1999).

 
In seminars the fears many teachers express about the language and themes that can occur in comics were discussed, ‘the content of comics [...] is often challenging to the social discourse constructed by teachers and their introduction into the classroom a threat to that moral order’ (Millard & Marsh, 2001:27). However; aren’t all types of reading material open to this? As Stafford (2009) supports children’s novels such as Harry Potter also depict acts of violence. ‘Teachers need to be aware of the popularity of comic reading’ (Millard & Marsh, 2001:26) if children want to read comics they will read them outside the classroom, teachers can provide a safe environment for children to discuss such themes and language. One teacher stated they removed one of the comics because he considered the level of violence it depicted to be unacceptable (Millard & Marsh, 2001:3), Stafford (2009) states comics can be checked through in a matter of minutes to reveal if it is suitable for a particular class and also states there are many comics that do not contain such themes. 
 

DfEE (1999) The National Curriculum London: HMSO

Learning and Teaching Scotland: Graphic Novels in the Curriculum http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/g/graphicnovels/intro.asp

Millard and Marsh (2001) ‘Sending Minnie the Minx Home: comics and reading choices’ Cambridge Journal of Education, 31:1, 25 – 38

Stafford, T. (2009) ‘Teaching Comics’ in Duncan, D. (2009) Teaching Children’s Literature: Making stories work in the classroom Abingdon: Routledge

comic

Comic

Page 1 of Goldilocks and the three bears!

comic

comic

Week 3 - ED

Week 3 - Does the use of comics and graphic novels within the primary literacy curriculum undermine the values of the classroom or do they offer opportunities for learning?

Multimodal texts are inevitability present in children’s lives (UKLA 2005). There are ongoing debates and criticisms about including graphic novels and comics into the literacy curriculum. These texts have received the ‘severest criticism but also repeated calls for censorship, even at times outright banning’ (Millard & Marsh 2001:25) mainly for their content which can include visual horrors and acts of violence. In terms of both genders, boys comics were thought to promote violence and girls to induce a soppy passivity; therefore inappropriate for children at this stage in their lives (Millard & Marsh 2001:26).

Although there are many negative perspectives to including graphic novels and comics in the literacy curriculum, there are also arguments to identify benefits of including these texts. One benefit is the amount of children that enjoy and read comics. Millard and Marsh (2001) found that by the age of 10 comics accounted for over a third of children’s reading, which presents that graphic novels and comics can play an important part in encouraging reading amongst pupils (L & T Scotland). However, visual literacy ‘is rarely granted status within our education system’ which provides concern as teachers have been educated to stress the importance of enrichment through reading (Millard & Marsh 2001:27). Teachers must be aware of the popularity of graphic novels and comic reading (Millard & Marsh 2001:26). Children perceive reading comics to be easier than reading a books and teacher’s can utilise this to gain further participation in reading (Millard & Marsh 2001:33). It is possible for teachers to build graphic novel and comic collections, which challenges the good reader whilst supporting those less enthusiastic (L & T Scotland) providing a ‘storytelling vehicle’ (Stafford 2009). It can also provide a discourse which can be used to enhance children’s shared understanding and pleasurable texts as popular culture has an appeal that draws in non-traditional support for literacy development.

To conclude, ‘the complexities of layout of comics and the reading skills demanded by them are by no means unchallenging’ (Millard & Marsh 2001:33). Schools should ensure that they provide reading materials, such as graphic novels and comics, to insure the interests of all children and therefore enhance and benefit their reading development.

Bibliography

Learning and Teaching Scotland: Graphic Novels in the Curriculum. http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/g/graphicnovels/intro.asp (accessed 01/02/2013)

 Millard, E. & Marsh, J. (2001) ‘Sending Minnie the minx home: comics and reading choices’ Cambridge Journal of Education

QCA/UKLA (2005) More than words 2: Creating Stories on page and screen.  London: QCA

Stafford, T. (2009) ‘Teaching Comics’ in Duncan, D. (2009) Teaching children’s literature: Making stories work in the classroom. Abingdon: Routledge.

Links to pictures used in comic
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=goldilocks&hl=en&tbo=d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=FuYIUYH8DIqb1AXDqoHQCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAA&biw=1280&bih=929#imgrc=EAwgQ47xyUN2_M%3A%3Bl6bWXHVIbatYGM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fblogs.capecodonline.com%252Ffile%252Fimport%252F7f657343-9a48-4547-9b55-079e7cb92687.jpeg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fblogs.capecodonline.com%252Fcape-cod-theater%252F2009%252F05%252F28%252Fauditions-goldilocks-with-the-aliens%252F%3B500%3B630

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_rn=1&gs_ri=serp&pq=goldilocks&cp=12&gs_id=20&xhr=t&q=the+three+bears&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&biw=1280&bih=929&wrapid=tljp1359537810963235&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=mOYIUdz1KMXB0gXNg4AY#imgrc=RU0xMRxydzIePM%3A%3BZiF2vpYfrqApIM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.trovarsinrete.org%252F1circolo%252Fenglish%252520corner%252Fgoldilocks%252Fe-bk-easy-readers-04goldilocks-pic6-anim.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.trovarsinrete.org%252F1circolo%252Fenglish%252520corner%252Fgoldilocks%252Fgoldilocks_and_the_three_bears.htm%3B250%3B254

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=daddy+bears+bed&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&biw=1280&bih=929&wrapid=tlif135953797152410&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=QucIUfXvAZHK0AXj2YHwDA#um=1&hl=en&tbo=d&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=three+bears&oq=three+bears&gs_l=img.3..0l10.16775.20068.0.20402.15.13.2.0.0.0.92.754.13.13.0...0.0...1c.1.q5gzJa70R-o&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.41642243,d.d2k&fp=ba33eb410549ecb3&biw=1280&bih=929&imgrc=TmEHXppmOE_qFM%3A%3B_J4Kzemd76_xYM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F3.bp.blogspot.com%252F-xKEjk9slQZ4%252FT6iHNh947cI%252FAAAAAAAABDM%252FUFV5P4gCvKw%252Fs1600%252Fthree%252Bbears.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftrininista.blogspot.com%252F2012%252F05%252Fflirting-world-championships.html%3B640%3B46

Week 2 - Why should teachers care about digital literacy?

Digital Literacy is a newish aspect of teaching and is one that has varying viewpoints surrounding it. Teachers are now educating a world of ‘digital natives’. Some find this impressive, some find this annoying, some even find it frightening (Palfrey & Gasser 2008) however there seems to be one common train of thought; “these kids are different” (Palfrey & Gasser 2008:2) Their way of doing things is very different from when you were growing up and the scary part is “they’ve never known any other way of life” (Palfrey & Gasser 2008:2)

We should not ignore the way the “digital era has transformed how people live their lives”. (Palfrey & Gasser 2008:3) It means that we as professionals have to embrace this “rapid period of technological transformation” (Palfrey & Gasser 2008:3) as “Just as technology is playing an increasing
role in culture generally, so too does it play a growing role in the lives of children.” (Futurelab 2010:7) Therefore we must adapt our pedagogy to incorporate this; making us known as ‘digital settlers’ or ‘digital immigrants’.

This digital era causes a widespread fear amongst parents, who worry about their digitally connected kids and it is supported that “they all have legitimate reasons to worry about the digital environment in which young people are spending so much of their time”. (Palfrey & Gasser 2008:8) This is mainly a fear of the impact of the Internet and the situations it can expose young people to; this fear is fed by the media. Palfrey and Gasser acknowledge that within ensuring safety in this digital era  “parents and teachers are on the front line. They have the biggest responsibility and the most important role to play.” (Palfrey & Gasser 2008:10) As we are seen to have this important role we should remain professional at all times. Teachers also have their concerns however, generally ones about our own ability to keep our skills as up to date as Digital Natives and also the pedagogy of our own education system keeping up with the ever changing digital landscape. (Palfrey & Gasser 2008) The Born Digital text enhances that it is important to “take both the challenges and the opportunities of digital culture seriously” (Palfrey & Gasser 2008:8) and embrace these as well as remembering that all the traditional values currently being taught will also be relevant in this new digital world of teaching. It seems silly that nowadays children start school “with an existing knowledge and experience of digital media. 
Yet, the use of technology they experience
 in schools often bears little relevance to the ways in which they are communicating and discovering information outside of school.” (Futurelab 2010:11) We should be using their knowledge and skills and building on it and expanding it. Therefore as teachers we need to remain professional within this change to the digital era and we should overcome any doubts and fears by learning “how to balance caution with encouragement”. (Palfrey & Gasser 2008:9)

FutureLab (2010) Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum: http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/handbooks/digital_literacy.pdf [accessed 28/01/2013]

Palfrey, J. & Gasser, U. (2008) Born Digital: Understanding in the first generation of digital natives New York: Basic Books

21st century fluency project