Comics in the classroom continues to be a hotly investigated topic. The Open Education website examines the subject in a suite of articles. The introductory piece points out the advantages of using comics to teach reading and writing: “Because comic books are laid out in frames, it is very easy for readers to track a story. In fact, it is also easy for those readers to both jump ahead and back as a story develops. In addition, the fact that each frame contains some text and a picture makes it much easier for readers to grasp and contextualize a story.”
Next, Open Education interviews Chris Wilson, who runs the Graphic Classroom website. Says Wilson:
Comic literature is unique in that it combines text and art, which makes use of Multiple Intelligences. Students who struggle to read – students with disabilities, students with little exposure to reading at home, and English Language Learners – can all benefit from comic literature because of the duality of text and art. The two modes of input allow students to grasp meaning quicker and more efficiently. There are details in the art, which can slow the reader down and help them absorb the meaning without necessarily having to struggle to decode every word.
Lastly, Open Education lists “The Twelve Best Graphic Novels for the Classroom.”
Another website on this subject is Scott Tingley’s Comics in the Classroom and its associated blog. Tingley recently reviewed the Spring 08 TOON Books as part of a survey of comics for early readers.