Helping & Sharing

The link to the referenced video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjvTIP7pV20

In my search for resources about educational comics I happened to stubble across a TED Talk video on the topic of using comics in the classroom. When I begin working on a project, I always like to know the underlying purpose for why I am creating it. In this case, I wanted to understand why educational comics are beneficial to further allow myself to create a good comic myself. At first, I had not given much thought to why comics would be such an effective tool for learning but after watching the talk “Comics Belong in the Classroom” hosted by Gene Luen Yang, I totally understood why comics were such a good tool. 

Of course, the visual aspect of comics is obvious and most people would immediately think of that as a benefit. But what stood out to me from Yang’s talk was his explanation that “the rate of information flow is in the hands of the reader”. This idea really resonated with me. He further explained that comics are able to present the past, resent, and future simultaneously on one page. This allows students to move according to their own pace, promoting a sense of permanence. As a learner, I personally find this really interesting. For my own learning style I often go back to my recorded lecture videos to rewatch certain sections, usually because the original pace of delivery was too fast for me to fully process information the first time around. However comics, naturally provide this flexitbility right from the beginning. Obviously this tool would not be realistic for a lot of university content, but at a younger education level I really think I would enjoyed and benefited from this medium!