Comics can reach a variety of students of all learning abilities: Text-based, picture-based, or auditory-based while students can work out thematic elements in the comic book form. This unique piece of popular culture can also have a tremendous impact on students with a variety of learning disabilities and disorders. Students who don't feel confident enough to speak out about "traditional" novels may feel more inclined to participate in discussions on an alternative novel, such as the graphic novel version of Fahrenheit 451, as the pictures appeal to their visual acuity. Other students that struggle with word disorders, reading ability or dyslexia can benefit from a "silent comic (one with no words)" to aid their reading ability:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/forums/showthread.php?36255-Wednesday-Comic-Reviews-Fantastic-Four-588-and-Amazing-Spider-Man-655
Though both of the issues are silent in nature, the ability for students to read and interpret these panels/pictures to tell the story elevates comic books from simply a "juvenile" medium of popular culture, to one that can have a profound impact on how students learn. For example, Marvel Comics has recently posted an "audio-edition" version of Daredevil #1, which came out in stores last month:
http://marvel.com/news/story/16485/daredevil_1_audio_edition
http://marvel.com/files/podcasts/DAREDEVIL_1_edited.mp3
"This project came about because, as we were getting to relaunch the new daredevil book with Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin, on the creative side, we got a lot of letters from actual blind Marvel Comics readers who have friends who read comics to them ever single week the books come out. So I thought it would be a cool and fun little exercise to get a few of us together here, very impromptu, and read the first issue of Daredevil." Stephen Wacker
Like any other form of written media, comics and graphic novels can be read. Comic books and graphic novels also have a unique voice and identity all their own. Just as films are be novelized, graphic novels can be read and enjoyed by all types of students."There's no difference between a novel and an illustrated novel. "Ray Bradbury. http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m30TKS9VUU3JDC/ref=ent_fb_link
Comic books and Graphic Novels can have a profound impact upon students with a variety of learning disorders: Dyslexia, where comics can tell stories in picture form, writing disability, where students can refer back to pictures to interpret and refer back to topics/themes in the work, or auditory processing disorder by means of graphic audiobooks using the pictures, words and audio to guide them. These are only some of the impressive methods comic books and graphic novels impact students of any grade level with nearly any form of learning disability. Just as each student is unique, there are a variety of unique means to appeal to their special educational needs.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/29/139973743/think-youre-an-auditory-or-visual-learner-scientists-say-its-unlikely
ReplyDeleteWell yeah, to be fair, what I'm getting at is that students that have special education needs can benefit greatly from this form. This is one article that states there is no concrete, scientific evidence about varied "learning styles," but then again, I feel that there are innate elements to one's personal learning style outside of being tailored to.
ReplyDeleteI know I'll never become a professional artist, but I know that I'd be more inclined to write a report about a renowned artist instead. Though it can't be scientifically proven, I believe I'm a text-based/writing-based learner.