Affordances of Graphic Novels for teaching contextualization, sourcing, and corroboration

Dr. William Boerman-CornellAssociate Professor of Education, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, Illinoisbill.boerman-cornell@trnty.edu

ICCTE ConferenceAzusa Pacific University Thursday, May 24, 2012

What are Graphic Novels and why are they a double-misnomer?

Graphic Novels (GNs) are not exclusively graphic. (they combine images and words using the conventions of a comic book)

GNs are not exclusively novels (the GNs in this

study are all non-fiction)

Why would Christians, a people of the Word, want to use graphic novels (overgrown comic books, right?) to teach anything? Graphic novels integrate images and words even

more closely than websites. Learning to read them may help students make meaning multi-modally.

Graphic Novels seem to have potential for teaching in particular content areas

Graphic novels, like picture books, may be helpful to teach struggling readers to picture what is described in the text – thus

developing imagination. Imagination may be vitally important for developing faith.

Literature Review: What do we know?

Multimodal texts have great power to convey meaning. (Cazden et al. 1996; Lemke 2002; Iedema 2003; Hull & Nelson 2005; Brunye, Taylor and Rapp, 2007; etc.)

A disciplinary approach for teaching reading can be effective. (Wineburg 1991; Stahl et al. 1996; Britt & Aghanskas 2002; Hynd-Shanahan et al. 2004; Shanahan & Shanahan 2008; etc.)

GNs can be used to engage students in the classroom. (Moore 2003; Barnett 2004; Bitz 2004; Moffatt and Norton 2005; Ranker 2007; etc.)

What we don’t know (but need to find out)

Much of the research on multimodality to date has reported enthusiasm about GN’s power to engage students – yet little is said about what happens once they are engaged.

Researchers need to consider the next step. What can various multimodal formats offer teachers to help them reach their curricular goals.

To that end, this study is a textual analysis looking at how primary source GNs can contribute to disciplinary literacy in high school history instruction.

Disciplinary Literacy

Different content area disciplines read differently (Shanahan and Shanahan 2008).

Reading in History Contextualization Corroboration Sourcing (Wineburg 1991)

Methodology From a list of 22 GNs, I

selected 5 primary-source based GNs.

Quantitative textual analysis with multiple readings looking for contextualization, sourcing, and corroboration.

Final close readings to consider aspects difficult to quantify.

Categories and Sub-Categories for Analysis

Contextualization Geographic, Temporal, Social, Economic, Political

Embedded maps, long shots, images, narration boxes, timelines, juxtaposition of events

SourcingEmbedded documents, narration boxes, images, explanatory notes,

CorroborationParallel accounts , facial expressions showing support or non-support, collaborative report

Selective Contextualization: ‘08: Diary of the 2008 Campaign

Geographic context: Images once every 31 pages. Narration boxes once every six pages. (During a campaign, place becomes blurred).

Political context: Images showing political context on average once per page.

Larger context: Critical questioning: narrated by two cynical reporters

The GN adjusts its contextualization to events it covers.

Geographic Contextualization, Sourcing, and Corroboration: Sacco’s Palestine and Safe Area Gorazde Embedded maps, long shots

to convey place.

Sourcing anonymous witnesses.

Multiple sources for corroboration.

Questioning the veracity of sources.

Nat Turner: Distinguishing the Primary Source from the Context Through Images

Contrasting the brutality of the rebellion with the brutality of slavery.

Image narration for context, words taken straight from Diary of Nat Turner and other primary sources

Visuals carry powerful emotional content – double edged sword

Cultural Contextualization in Journey Into Mohawk Country

Original text-only 1634 journal of a Dutch explorer trying to determine why the Mohawk prefer trading with the French.

Original text is not very interesting, and Vandenbogaert never finds an answer.

Historians studying the text however have determined that the diary describes many actions by the Dutch that the Mohawk would have found culturally offensive.

GN version uses images to show social gaffesIn a way that high school students could recognize.

Conclusions and implications1. The GNs in this analysis exhibited

contextualization, sourcing, and corroboration in traditional, text-only ways, but also in new multimodal ways.

2. GNs tailor contextualization to the needs of the particular historical events being narrated.

3. GNs provide sourcing and corroboration even in situations where privacy issues make it difficult to use names or photos.

4. GNs should not, in the context of the history discipline or in any other instructional context, be treated monolithically. Each GN has unique affordances and limitations.

Thank You. Any questions?