Ar Proposal j Colson Sed 600

Comic Strips as a medium for Instruction 1

COMIC STRIPS AS A MEDIUM FOR INSTRUCTION

Comic Strips as a medium for Instruction: Does a science based curriculum capitalizing

on the inherent multi-modal design of the comic strip, make the learning of new concepts

more equitable for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners?

John C. Olson

California State University Northridge


Abstract

This paper is a proposal for an action research project on the use of comic strips in the

classroom as a medium to allow equitable access for visual, auditory and kinesthetic

learners. The numbers, time frames, etc. are estimates based on this current year’s

schedule and classes. The paper introduces the purpose and direction of the research

proposal, briefly investigates the literature review for the study, and begins to layout the

basic methodology of the research. References for the literature review are included in

this proposal.


CHAPTER I

MAKING NEW CONCEPTS MORE EQUITABLE FOR DIFFERENT

LEARNING STYLES THROUGH COMIC STRIP BASED INSTRUCTION.

Differentiated instruction is an approach to instruction which allows whole class

instruction while accommodating the needs of individual learners. Within any learning

community there are subgroups of students who can possess slight to profound visual,

auditory or kinetic learning preferences. In my classroom, warm ups have traditionally

involved the silent reading of text, taking notes from context, and the reproduction of

drawings of and concepts from the textbook. This warm up style does not fairly address

the reality that within the classroom community there are auditory learners who prefer to

hear concepts aloud in order to process them. There are also kinesthetic learners who

learn best by acting out, drawing, and manipulating their world, and who prone to

resisting reading. This study comes out of a concern to address these discrepancies.

I have a strong interest for the genre of the comic strip and how it opens a window

to our society through the stories it presents. I believe it can be a motivating medium for

all students. This study is designed to evaluate comic strips as a medium to more readily

engage all students.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of a comic strip based curriculum,

A Newton and Copernicus Companion, and to evaluate the effectiveness this curriculum

in addressing the various learning styles preferences of my students. For this study,

lessons from the curriculum will primarily be used as warm-up activities in my science

classrooms. More in depth, whole period activities will also be piloted.


The focus of the study is to see if the use of comic strips more equitably engages

all students regardless of their preferred learning styles. Upon entering the classroom,

students are expected to begin working on a warm-up posted on the front board. My

warm-ups usually involve students working individually at their seats on a written prompt

while I take attendance, answer individual questions and address daily opening business.

Depending on the skills involved; reading, writing, note taking, drawing

diagrams, different subgroups of students have trouble getting on task, and they resist

those activities which are challenging or difficult for them. The comic strip curriculum

will be designed to have students reading, (silently and aloud,) listening, discussing,

dramatizing, writing and drawing, as it mixes several of these modalities into one

activity. The objective is to allow students to become actively engaged with the

concepts, issues and terminology presented in the curriculum and to make the content

more equitably accessible to students with different learning styles. A second objective is

to stimulate students to talk about science and science issues. This format requires a

change in my daily warm-ups from a quiet, seated, individual activity, to a more

engaging, interactive experience, a process which will require an adjustment to my

expectations of noise level and movement within the classroom.

Through the implementation of this curriculum as a pilot in the classroom, the

following research questions will be addressed.

1. Does the use of a comic based curriculum provide evidence that it is equitably addressing students with different learning styles?

2. What appear to be the most successful attributes of the curriculum?

3. Is there evidence that the inherent multimodal design of a comic strip makes science concepts and terminology more accessible for all students?


Importance of the Study

The results of this study will provide some indication as to whether the use of a

science themed cartoon strip used as a warm up will make the learning of scientific

concepts and issues in science more balanced and accessible to students with moderate to

strong preferences for different learning styles. It will also provide data as to the quality

of the Newton and Copernicus Companion curriculum, and whether further editing and

development is indicated. The study will also provide qualitative assessments which

indicate the level of interest students have in the comic strip format.

Definition of Terms

Comic Strip: A comic strip is a drawing or sequence of drawings that tells a story

Cartoon: Used here interchangeably with comic strip. In modern print media, a cartoon

is a piece of art, usually humorous in intent

Learning Style: A learning style is a preferred mode of learning that is “related to

physiological factors: visual (seeing/picture), Auditory (hearing), and Kinesthetic

(touching/physical)” (Vincent & Ross, 2001, p.9).

Learning Style Assessment: A self or teacher administered test that helps to determine

preferred learning styles, usually with a numerical value assigned to each preference.

Visual Learner: “Visual learners have vivid imaginations, learn by seeing images … and

find verbal instructions difficult” (Vincent & Ross, 2001, p.10).


Auditory Learner: Auditory learners are students who “have difficulty with written

instructions … and must hear to understand” (Vincent & Ross, 2001, p.10).

Kinesthetic Learners: The traits of a kinesthetic learner describe students that do not

listen or focus on directions, learn by doing, express their emotions physically, and

usually have outgoing personalities (Vincent & Ross, 2001).

Differentiated Instruction: Differentiated Instruction is an instructional concept that

maximizes learning for ALL students—regardless of skill level or background.

A Newton and Copernicus Companion: A collection of activities using comic strips

from or based on the online comic strip, Newton and Copernicus, a science themed comic

strip with an ongoing story line about the adventures and misadventures of two lab rats

involved in a neural stimulation experiment. www.newtonandcopernicus.com

http://www.newtonandcopernicus.com/


CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

How Students Learn

At the end of the first reporting period during the previous school year, 2006-

2007, Nicky, a highly motivated student who contributed to the classroom and learning

environment, came to me with a concern. Nicky was concerned that she did not really

understand all the “stuff” about motion and forces she had read and studied in the text. I

asked her if she felt that she was more of an auditory learner than a visual learner. Her

response was that the homework reading didn’t really make sense to her, but she seemed

unsure about just what her learning strengths were.

Nicky actively participated and listened in class and communicated her ideas well.

She maintained high grades in science and in all of her other classes, so I found this

discrepancy curious. That conversation lead me to further research which generated an

interest in better addressing the different learning styles of my students.

Learning Styles

There are several learning style models that researchers have developed for use in

identifying a student’s preferred learning style. In the most familiar model, learners are

categorized as visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or a combination of these three. “Learning

styles are… related to physiological factors: visual (seeing/picture), Auditory (hearing),

and Kinesthetic (touching/physical)” (Vincent & Ross, 2001, p.9).

Visual learners have vivid imaginations, learn by seeing images … and find

verbal instructions difficult” (Vincent & Ross, 2001, p.10). Some suggested strategies


for teaching the visual student include, “using video equipment, providing assignments in

writing; and using charts and pictures” (p.10).

The auditory learner has different needs. “Auditory students prefer the auditory

sense. They enjoy talking, have difficulty with written instructions … and must hear to

understand” (Vincent & Ross, 2001, p.10). When teaching the auditory learner, teachers

“need to provide as much auditory stimuli as possible,” (p.10). Verbal reinforcement,

group activities, class discussions and reading aloud are beneficial strategies for auditory

learners (p.10).

“Kinesthetic or Tactile students prefer the tactile sense,” (Vincent & Ross, 2001,

p.11). Vincent and Ross point out that these students are poor listeners, they learn by

doing, express their emotions physically, and usually have outgoing personalities (p.11).

“Teachers of Kinesthetic/Tactile students need to provide many activities to allow

students to participate in learning,” and that “they need to provide hands-on activities,

provide for physical movement within the classroom, and encourage note taking”

(Vincent & Ross, 2001, p.11). With this wide range of preferences, it is desirable to find

a way to deliver content to a wide variety of student needs. The use of comic strips in a

properly designed lesson, should have many attributes that makes it conducive to

addressing these multiple learning styles.

Multiple Intelligences

Another model viewed learning styles in terms of multiple intelligences. The

theory behind multiple intelligences “defines intelligence as the capacity to solve

problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural settings” (Vincent

& Ross, 2001, p. 4). First introduced in 1983, “Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory


provided a new way of looking at intelligence” (p. 4). The seven original categories are

listed below.

Linguistic: the capacity to communicate effectively in writing or orally.

Logical-Mathematical: the capacity to work with numbers and high order

thinking.

Visual-Spatial: the capacity to learn through graphic images.

Musical: the capacity to think/express in musical forms.

Body-Kinesthetic: the capacity to use body movement in learning and expression.

Interpersonal: the ability to understand and interact with other people.

Intrapersonal: the ability to understand themselves and pursue their own interests.

(Vincent & Ross, 2001, pp. 4-5)

Although my action research study will not catagorize the learning styles of the

subgroups into Gardner’s multiple intelligences, the comic strip format and curriculum

design should accommodate many of these intelligences.

Global/Analytical

Another learning styles model was one that identified students as “global or

analytical learners” (Whitefield, 2005). Whitefield cited from a study by Dunn and

Dunn, and elaborated how “The Dunn and Dunn model … identifies five major stimuli to

which students respond in learning situations.” Some of the traits of an analytical learner

include a need to complete work, preference for step by step tasks, and a need for

sequence in building towards a concept and in getting feedback. Some of the traits of a

global learner include a need for concepts before details, an ability to multi-task, a

preference for group learning and a desire to be presented with lessons of interest to them


(Whitefield, 2005). The comic strip format and the interaction of students with the

curriculum either individually or in groups, will accommodate students with analytical or

global preferences, allowing them to participate in the learning process.

The identification and support of learning styles

In his article on identifying and supporting learning styles, Pitts (2002) argued

that “anybody that works in or with today’s classrooms knows that teachers are under

heavy pressure to cover a lot of material” (p.3). Pitts underscores the idea that test scores

are expected to rise. Pitts further comments that “teaching to the student’s learning style

will improve test scores” (p. 3).

There are many instruments available for teachers to use to evaluate learning

styles. However, Pitts countered that “these inventories, as good as they may be, take up

too much of the teachers’ time to be used effectively” (2002, p. 5). This creates a

dilemma for teachers. Knowledge of learning styles is beneficial to teacher and student,

but identifying learning styles can be a daunting task. His suggested that a simple, easy

to administer and evaluate instrument would prove to be beneficial (Pitts, 2002). An

integral part of the design of my study is to incorporate an easy to administer learning

styles assessment to help identify the subgroups within my action research project.

Comic Strips in the classroom

Research has indicated that comic strips in the classroom can be a great teaching

aid. The benefits of their use in specific learning contexts can carry over into the general

classroom population. In an article considering comic strips as a serious intervention for

ESL students, the author noted that “carefully selected comic strips can become great

teaching aids for ESL instructors” (Serious ESL Lessons, 2005, p.1). The article also


stressed that comic strips were beneficial “because they provide brief conversations in

English with pictures that help convey the meaning of the words” (p.1). For a visual

learner, especially one who may be below grade level in reading, or a kinesthetic learner

who resists reading, the pictures in a comic strip reinforcing the concepts could

potentially make the content more accessible. The article argued that cartoon (comic)

strips are effective: “it’s not just aural or visual, it’s both” (p.1). One could fairly

extrapolate that comic strips can benefit not only ESL students, but also auditory and

visual learners.

One of the objectives of my study, beyond equitably addressing the learning

styles of my students, is to stimulate discussion about science concepts and science

issues. Dahbany-Miraglia, quoted during an interview shared the following: “I use

cartoons to elicit rather than to lecture” (Serious ESL Lessons, 2005, p.1). She added that

giving cartoons (comic strips) to the students “lets them talk about how they feel, what

they think.”

The use of comic strip conversations has been studied in special education,

addressing the limited verbal abilities of certain autistic children. This study noted that

“children with limited verbal skills benefit from comic strip conversations because they

rely on extensive use of visual materials” (Glaeser, Pierson, & Fritschmann, 2003, p.15).

The researchers further noted that “although originally developed to help students with

autistic spectrum disorders, these techniques can be applied to any student with below-

average verbal language ability” (p.15). Students in the study were able to express their

feelings about playground issues they were having by drawing and creating conversations

in comic strip format. Using comic strips as a medium to convey understanding and


information for a general education population might possibly have equal benefits for

students who struggle expressing themselves verbally, and will be a component in the

curriculum being designed for this action research project.

The value of using concept cartoons was discussed by Kabapınar (2005) in a

study which evaluated the use of cartoons in a constructivist approach to teaching science

concepts. He cited the findings of a previous study by Keogh and Naylor which stated

that…

(the) concept cartoon approach in teaching science enhances motivation, provides

a purpose for practical work, minimizes classroom management problems by the

focused discussion that keeps the pupils on task, enables finding out students’

ideas prior to teaching, and provides a manageable way to plan and carry out the

teaching according to students’ ideas (Kabapınar, 2005, P.137).

Since a classroom warm-up activity is most effective when students are on task and

engaged, these findings validate the intrinsic value of investigating the comic strip as an

instructional tool.

The logic behind incorporating the comic strip into the curriculum was further

supported in an article addressing Literacy Instruction with communicative and visual

arts. The article quoted a study by Wright and Sherman (1999) which listed three

arguments for the inclusion of comic strips in a language arts classroom.

First, their study revealed a high level of interest in the genre. Second, the wide

circulation of comic strips makes them an economically viable source of material.

Third, most comic strips have low readability levels, with words and sentences


which are linguistically suitable for elementary and middle school readers (Lin, C.,

2003, p.4).

The readability of a comic strip, because of the visual clues, the text presented as

conversational dialog, and the students natural affinity for the genre, would provide

added motivation for students to become engaged in the exercises from the curriculum.

The literature supports the basics tenets of this paper, demonstrating that comic

strips have value in teaching to multiple learning styles, and that the format of a comic

strip, with its dialog and visual clues from the pictures, makes reading and understanding

the content more accessible and will allow all students to successfully engage in the

activities of the curriculum.


CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Participants

My study will involve 150 8th grade middle school students at Arroyo Seco Junior

High, a public school in northern Los Angeles County. The main study group of 150

students from 5 periods of 8th grade science contains 80 boys and 70 girls, ranging in age

from 12 to14 years. From the main study group, four subgroups will be identified for

more in-depth analysis. These subgroups will be identified by compiling the results of

two different learning styles preference assessments, and identifying those with the

strongest preferences as highly visual, auditory, or kinesthetic.

Subgroup V: 20 students, identified as highly visual learners: x boys, y girls.

Subgroup A: 20 students identified as highly auditory learners: x boys, y girls.

Subgroup K: 20 students identified as highly kinesthetic learners: x boys, y girls

Subgroup C: 20 students selected from the main study group without a profound

preference for any one style

The students involved in the study will all be members of the same small learning

community, Team Discovery. The students share the same team of teachers for math,

science, English and history. The demographics of our school have changed over the last

two years, with an increase in ethnic diversity. Only a small percentage of the students

on campus are identified as English learners, and they are tracked on a CLAD/Inclusion

team and are not represented in this study. Regardless of ethnicity, the overall population

would be classified as coming from middle to lower middle income families.


MATERIALS

Curriculum

The curriculum to be used in this research will be a collection of lessons based on

a comic strip featuring two lab rats, Newton and Copernicus. The curriculum is to be

developed as an independent study at California State University Northridge over the

summer of 2007.

The curriculum, A Newton and Copernicus Companion, will contain a minimum

of 25 different lesson plans which can be used as warm ups, and five lessons to be used

as extended classroom activities. The lessons will cover a range of scientific issues, (ie.

ethics of animal testing) as well as scientific concepts addressed in the California Eighth

Grade content standards. The lessons will incorporate activities that will address multiple

learning modalities.

A printed collection of the actual comic strip, the first year of Newton and

Copernicus, will be made available for students to check out for leisure reading.

Measuring Devices

Each student on the team will take two independently designed learning style

assessments. One of the tests I am considering is the CAPSOL styles of learning, and I

am looking to include one free internet based assessment. These assessments will used to

identify learning style preferences. The students will also be asked to write a short

narrative describing in what ways they felt they learn the best, to triangulate with the two

assessments. One assessment will be given through their science class and one through

their English class. The narrative will be written in science.


The 150 students in the main study group will be given pretests prior to each

section of the curriculum and posttests following each section of the curriculum. These

tests will be written in conjunction with the curriculum. These tests will be in a multiple

choice format which can be readily scored and recorded. The data collected from these

pre and post tests will provide a quantitative baseline for a general evaluation of the

effectiveness of the curriculum and a benchmark to compare the subgroups against.

Student’s written responses from four of the extended activities will be collected.

The responses of the individual students in the identified subgroups will be coded for

correct responses. More open ended questions will also be collected for data coding, to

look for trends in understanding, misconceptions, preconceptions, and other unanticipated

factors. These coded scores will then compared to the post test scores by subgroup and

against the general population within the study.

At least one student generated individual comic panel from a closure activity,

(student finishes the last panel) and one complete strip for showing mastery of a concept

will be collected from each of the subgroup members and coded for correct responses,

misconceptions, and unanticipated factors.

For purposes of triangulation, students will be given an exit survey at the end of

the action research. This scaled survey will have them rate the comic strip curriculum in

terms of how well it helped them understand new concepts, how they liked the overall

curriculum, if it helped them to talk about science, whether or not they felt as if they

learned from the curriculum and will also solicit suggestions for improvements.


PROCEDURES

Length of the study

The study will take place over the course of ten weeks during the first quarter of

the fall semester of the 2006-2007 (September – November) school year. Students will

do warm ups from the curriculum at least twice a week, and will participate in an

extended activity approximately every two weeks during the study period.

Analysis

The bulk of the data from this study will analyzed inductively. Data from

Subgroups V, A, K and C will be collected, coded and used to compare the Visual,

Auditory, Kinesthetic and Control subgroups results. This data will also be analyzed by

comparing the scores side by side for each of the subgroups, and then by comparing the

subgroups to the mean score of the large study group, looking for any meaningful trends.

The survey at the end of the study will be used to compare and contrast the

responses of visual learners to their subgroups scores, auditory survey responses to their

subgroups scores, etc., giving a different perspective to the results and triangulating the

data.

The pre and post test data will be used to look for overall trends in growth,

understanding or learning within the study and will be done with comparative analysis

using quantitative methods.

Two unique four student groups, each containing 1 student from each subgroup,

will be video-taped working collaboratively on one of the extended activities, and a

transcript will be made of their conversations and coded. This transcript will be used to

evaluate if the curriculum generates worthwhile conversation about science.


All students in the large group will keep a written log of their leisure reading

choices, and these logs will be mined for the number of students checking out copies of

Newton and Copernicus comic books and the number of days and pages they have read.

This information will be compared to the learning preference identification of each of the

participants to see if a leisure interest in the comic strip is equitable within the subgroups.

Reading scores from state testing will be contrasted with the data from the

subgroups to see if reading level correlates to the scores of the individual student’s

success with the curriculum, or if the format of the curriculum demonstrates less variation

in scores than the reading level scores of each subgroup would seem to indicate.


References

Glaeser, B. C., Pierson, M. R., & Fritschmann, N. (2003). Comic strip conversation:

A positive behavioral support strategy. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 36(2), 14-

19. Retrieved April 14, 2007, from ERIC database.

Kabapınar, F., (2005). Effectiveness of Teaching via Concept Cartoons from the Point of

View of Constructivist Approach. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 5(1),

135-146, 12p, 2 charts; (AN 17364596). Retrieved Friday April 20, 2007 from

ERIC database.

Lin, C., (2003). Literacy Instruction through Communicative and Visual Arts. ERIC

Digest. Retrieved Monday, April 23, 2007 from the ERIC database

Pitts, J. I. (2002). A teacher-friendly instrument in identifying learning styles in the

classroom. U.S.; South Carolina: November 25, 2006, from ERIC database.

Serious ESL Lessons Await Students In The Funny Pages. (2005). Curriculum Review,

Retrieved Monday, April 23, 2007 from the ERIC database.

Vincent, A., & Ross, D. (2001). Personalize training: Determine learning styles,

personality types and multiple intelligences online. Learning Organization, 8(1), 36-

43. Retrieved November 25, 2006, from ERIC database.


Whitefield, Despina. (2005). 4th Annual Teaching Learning Forum: Learning styles -

great minds don't think alike! retrieved from

http://lsn.curtin.edu.au/tlf/tlf1995/whitefield.html

http://lsn.curtin.edu.au/tlf/tlf1995/whitefield.html

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Ar Proposal j Colson Sed 600