ADVANTAGES OF USING COMICS IN ELT CLASSROOM
There are many advantages in using comics in ELT.
Comics make learning fun as students are able to
experiment different activities. This
makes the lesson exhilarating and exciting for the students.
Comics provoke comment and thought on events and issues. This
allows students to be vocal and encourages debates and results in the students’
ability to speak well. The visual element in comics motivates students to pay
more attention and tell a complex story in a few images, thereby learning
summarizing skills.
Comics involve Multiple Intelligences and engage the students
in the various learning dispositions resulting in students enhancement in
learning. Comics promotes reading as comics are cheap and convenient resources
from newspaper bookstands, bookshops and the internet. Using comics in the
classroom promotes a relaxed, stress-free atmosphere in the classroom and is
suitable for all genders. It allows
students to comment and illustrate on issues that related to family, relationships,
friendships and school to name a few.
Using comics motivates reluctant readers and engages urban
youths who read less and therefore develops the comprehension skills of
learners. Comics are a great source for teaching narrative structure, characterization,
Maths, poetry, sequencing, storytelling, comparison and writing. Comics is a
great tool to teach struggling students. Comics enable students to pay
attention, to extract information, to communicate ideas and emotions clearly
and to use both words and images.
DISADVANTAGES
IN USING COMICS
Using comics may result some disadvantages in ELT practice.
Comics may cause confusion in language use such as spelling
and pronunciation that affect less efficacy students struggle to learn. The overuse of colloquial referential may cause difficulty to
students in coping with learning. Some comics use inappropriate language or
wrong usage of grammar, subject-verb agreement, tenses and vocabulary. Comics
that use foul language and slang words are unsuitable for classroom teaching. Some
comics depict violence and this is not suitable for young students to be
exposed to. Comics normally use the active voice in the narrative boxes.
Students may find it difficult to understand the passive voice.
THE
DOS IN CHOOSING COMICS
In selecting comics, teachers should bear in mind that not all comics are suitable for using in the
classroom.
Comics that are chosen must have interesting plots to keep
the attention of the students. Comics should be selected based on the age of the students in a particular group as well
as ability of the students and their gender. Choosing comics that have rich
thought or speech bubbles tend to encourage language learning. Comics that are
chosen must depict good moral values; which will provide positive influence to
the students.
After a comic strip is chosen or the lesson, the objectives and aims should be clearly informed to the students so that they will know what
to expect from the lesson. When preparing a lesson using comics, the teacher
should know the characters well and must be flexible with students responses on
the characters.
Finally, The teacher must ensure that all students
participate in the comics activity.
THE DONT'S IN CHOOSING
COMICS
In choosing comics for a lesson, care should be taken not to
use comics that depict too much of
negative elements such as violence, foul language and obscene pictures. There
should be proper spacing of the activities in a lesson. The task given should
be according to the given text: a simple task should not be given with a very
difficult text. Teachers should avoid using comics from foreign countries that
do not reflect our culture and social values as students may be confused. If a
foreign one is to be used, some cultural differences must be explained in
ahead.
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES IN
COMICS
Using comics in the classroom is
a way to reach students with many different learning styles. Its storytelling
nature helps a student to make a story about any subject that he or she is
interested in because cartoon character appeals to the learning tendencies of most
students.
Comics relate to the specific
Multiple Intelligences in the following ways:
a. Verbal/Linguistic
There is no limit to what words
can do in a comic. Students are free to use vocabulary which is unlimited
within the context of the topic given. This builds students’ vocabulary power and therefore
directly influences as well as motivates the students to explore the use of the
language more confidently.
b. Visual/Spatial
Cartoon drawings are naturally
spatial. Placing the characters in sets and backgrounds encourages spacial
learning. Students understand the subject better when they understand the
special area of the subject.
c. Mathematical
Comics involves mathematical
arrangements as they experiment with sizes and patterns of panel arrangements.
This helps students absorb mathematical elements indirectly when they use
comics to learn.
d. Kinetic/Bodily
This area of comics appeals to
students because the actions of the cartoon characters in story attract their
attention, and with reduced text and
more images, learning will greatly be enhanced.
e. Interpersonal
Using comics helps students to
relate to the characters in the story. This enables students to understand the
story and take interest in learning.
f. Intrapersonal
Comics has a way of exploring the moods of the
characters in the story. This appeals to students as, through comics, students
learn to understand the affective elements in the characters in the subjects of
the stories they read; especially in the study of English literature.
g. Naturalistic
Through comics, students
understand and get to explore their natural surroundings. They will be able to
sequence events given in questions in the classroom.
h. Musical/Rhythmic
Comics’ storytelling
is rhythmic. By using repetition of panels, students are encouraged to produce
innovative and abstract stories. This enhances students’ learning power.
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