Study Group: Approaches to Studying and Teaching Graphic Novels

Session Submission Type: Study Group

Abstract

This study group’s purpose is to share empirical research and pedagogy on graphica (i.e., sequential texts that combine words with images), to support researchers/educators of all experience levels in developing work on graphic novels and comics in literacy education. We will examine representations of diversity in graphic novels and comics, features make them appeal to a wide variety of readers, as well as how they subvert education policies that stifle diversity in schools.
Agenda
•Day 1: Enacting Care for the Good of Older Adults Through Graphic Novel Explorations
In this presentation Ewa McGrail, a teacher educator, shares experiences with exploring with graduate students a graphic novel focused on intergenerational relationship building, love and care for older adults and learning how to care for a loved one with a disability.
•Day 2: Making Comics as Method: Exploring teacher perceptions of media using graphic and visual modes.
In this study, Jared Huisingh, a doctoral student, interviewed three participants about how they teach media literacy. Each participant created art that interrogated their perceptions of the interplay between media and identity, and that art was used to inform analysis of the collected data in the form of comics. This talk will showcase the comics that resulted from analyses and discuss the implications of using comics creation as research method.
•Day 3: Saving the Sun with Digital Comics at Adventureleggers Community STEM Carnival
In this presentation, Daryl Axelrod, a digital literacies researcher, and Nathanial Sandler of Bookleggers Library, share results of a mixed methods pilot study of families using iPads to compose narrative digital comics to learn STEM content about the Sun during a STEAM and literacy carnival in a low-SES, urban community of color in Florida.

Content Area

• AREA 13. Study Groups

Chairs

• Daryl Axelrod, Florida International University

• Stergios Botzakis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

• Ewa McGrail, Georgia State

Presenters

• Jared Huisingh, University of Tennessee at Knoxville

• Nathaniel Sandler, Bookleggers

• Ewa McGrail, Georgia State

• Daryl Axelrod, Florida International University