Abstract
The goal of literacy development at schools is a standing feature of the curriculum. In spite of this, the means to develop critical thinking in students often comes up short. The development of literacy and critical thinking can be presented in engaging and memorable ways, but schools often defer to what they have done in the past; namely through textbooks and worksheets. This article will argue that the greater and structured incorporation of graphic novels and comic literature, but from a critical literacy perspective, will have the effect of increasing engagement of the subject matter. A closer engagement through visual means, coupled with a teaching pedagogy that directly supports critical literacy skill development builds the best experience and engagement of student learning.
Highlights
Modern social and civic literacy demands learning an evolving skillset of students so that they are not left behind as the platforms of social and media interaction evolve and change (West and Williams, 2015)
The development of literacy and critical thinking can be presented in engaging and memorable ways, but schools often defer to what they have done in the past; namely through textbooks and worksheets
The modern and more thorough merging of printed and electronic formats by virtue of innate compatibility means that modern literacy have dimensions of visual elements that go far beyond written words and encompass everything from basic symbolism to complex meanings generated through video or other means
Summary
Modern social and civic literacy demands learning an evolving skillset of students so that they are not left behind as the platforms of social and media interaction evolve and change (West and Williams, 2015). Boerman-Cornell (2015) argues that visual mediums such as graphic novels present a resource through which students can better contextualize the information they are provided, and so expand the possibilities of corroboration of historical or other sources This is the essence of the process and skillset of critical literacy. With the proper instructional or group approach, these graphic titles or subjects can represent what students remember the most from a unit of study With this relatively recent and still evolving addition to the canon of the modern school curricula, it is important to provide the kind of pedagogy and training that supports it properly. The teacher and students can explore this same time and space, reasoning for character choice (requiring additional research), relevance of certain story elements such as characters, time, place, setting, and plot and develop a deeper understanding of the subject (Bridges, 2009; King, 2012; Schieble, 2014; Wolfe and Kleijwegt, 2012)
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