Using Graphic Novels to Teach

A lot of people have the perception that graphic novels are just shrouded comics. That they are a cop out from reading a more traditional text. I believe differently. Graphic novels can be a useful tool for any teacher to interest their student's into reading. Contrary to what many believe, graphic novels still maintain the normal elements that drive a story, plot, theme, characters and so forth but in a rather different approach than text based books. I know for myself I am a very visual learner and the graphics help with comprehension. There is also a feeling of excitement of success when completing the short story because they are relatively easy to read in a short amount of time. I also feel pretty intelligent because the pictures can help narrow down how the author is feeling in their writings. Graphic novels can be used to deal with more sensitive or difficult topics that students have a tough time following or understanding.

Reading can also be very boring from the standpoint of picking up a book and reading it from front to back just like any other novel. In today's world it seems to be more difficult to maintain adolescents attention by just throwing a book of text in front of them and telling them to analyze and come up with a report for a presentation. Our student's will easily throw these types of strategies back in our faces. Graphic novels take a different approach to how they are presented to the reader creating a more interactive process. Some novels are read backwards, while others are just sets of pictures forcing the reader to come up with their own interpretations of the story. I think it's an incredible tool for teachers to interest students in a variety of different topics from teaching history or learning about the struggles of social norms and the issues that arise with them in a more colorful and intriguing fashion.