| Comics in the Classroom |
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| Tuesday, 24 November 2009 16:33 | ||||
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Every single night before I call it a day, I read the funnies. As a result of this ritual, I have compiled a set of “educational” cartoons. Much of my collection is old and yellowed, posted on the door of my office and on the cork board by my desk. For certain authors, I’ve purchased their volumes of work. Over time,I have found this to be a valuable resource in the classroom. Engaging students is crucial for turning them on to learning. Once you get the students' buy-in, you can help them learn anything (anything developmentally appropriate, that is). If students come in to class, greeted by a comic strip, most of them pay attention. (Whether or not they get the humor or the content connection is a different aspect all together.) Once you have their attention, run with it. I have found comics appropriate for all of the core content areas. My most recent favorite shows students seated at desks, the top of the head of one of student in the middle of the class has blown open, and the caption is something along the lines of too much Algebra causing the brain to spontaneously combust. Now I may not start the class with this comic, as it may turn my students off to the learning task at hand. But there are many examples of math combined with humor that can be used to engage your students. Beyond just a strategy for getting your students’ attention,comics provide a stimulus for writing. Provide a group of four students with a comic and ask them to explain the math at hand and the misconceptions that may be illustrated. Several of the science themed comics provide examples of math. A recent example for history shows the continent South America labeled “Europe” with a caption: The place four out of five of high school students hope to visit.” Comics are one more way to change things up a bit in the classroom to keep you and your students loving learning. Comments (1)
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I read the cartoons first thing each day & have at least one student most mornings I can engage with a line from one of their favorite characters. The comics also can be used for sequencing, inference and are helpful for students "on the spectrum" trying to make sense of the gestures & idiomatic expressions that might as well be a foreign language to them.