Blog for Engl. 486

 A detailed description of the text.  This book is about how the comic industry has changed the face of "visual literacy" in ALL subjects based on common core standards. The Common Core State Standards now explicitly recommends the use of comics in the modern classroom. It also gives examples of how they use the comics in readings, writing, math, social studies, language arts, and science.    2. Please explain why you chose this text. What was your rationale? How does your understanding of this text influence your thinking about your teaching. The reason I chose this book was because of the cover. It captured my eye and looked the most interesting when I was looking around the library. That is basically one of the reasons why comics are actually recommended, they catch the readers eye. It hooks the reader and they become a little more interested when there is action or adventure in a story, rather than sitting and staring at a white piece...

Visual Literacy is important not just in a classroom, but in our everyday lives as humans. But, with visual literacy in the classroom, it benefits greatly with students who need a better understanding of a topic or text assignment. In grades 1-3, pictures and comic style reading is appreciated and recommended for that specific age group so they can understand a text better than just using words. Using visual literacy makes the reader interested and more capable of obtaining information, especially the characters dialogs and cultures. In grades 6-12, visual literacy can be just as crucial than those in grades 1-3. Visual literacy is used in charting or graphing, so students can actually see data increasing or decreasing and why. Visual imaging is used to illustrate and represent an idea so everyone can have a similar interpretation of what is being presented in a power point or even something as simple as a film.  Most examples of complex topics are in pictures to organize those...

When it comes to listening and speaking in the classroom, there is a certain curriculum each class has to follow and achieve by the end of their school year. School aged children must learn to listen and respect other when sharing information, they also have to start responding to each other feedback. Middle school they start forming opinions and discussing while still learning to discuss and respect each others time speaking. In high school, they start forming opinions on major issues  in the world and start forming arguments on their opinions, while still respecting one-on-one time and listening when other are speaking to the class or their own peer. I truly think this needed in civilization or out in the real world because the more we listen to one another, the more we understand about each other or understand a taboo subject. Having the skills to listen is a respectful trait we sometimes lack in our society, and speaking or sharing information can build confidence in individua...

In the Discussion article, I feel as though the "circle of voices" is very effective when it comes to gathering information and expressing it in discussions in any kind of environment. Being in a group of less than five peers is that there is un-interrupted time between a very small group of people. There is more time to gather thoughts and information without the stress of being interrupted and feel that they got their points across. This way of discussion also helps with introverted students who fear of being judged and talking in front of larger groups of peers. Students feeling fear and having that fear drown them and making them believe their opinion isn't worth talking about is my biggest fear as a teacher. I feel this type of way to teach discussion can be very successful in making students talk with each other and in front of the class. 

I enjoyed Dr. Leib's research and presentation on how culture is connected to learning and obtaining information. It was also interesting how culture is effecting student's success in the classroom, especially in "foreign" places where there is major cultural differences. I personally think that this presentation that offered data and analysis made me more aware as a teacher, but also as a person on how we should be more patient and understanding when someone is from another place in the world. That we cannot expect them to grasp onto our ways of our own culture and then also expect them succeed right when we assign certain assignments they are not familiar with. This was a very eye opening presentation and I am sure I will use her data and research in the classroom and in the future to make schools more viable to all students in America.

I am actually pretty familiar with graphic novels. I am a visual learner. How I think this will help my secondary English students is by having these graphic novels be a visual way of learning for those who have trouble with plain lectures or those who simply do not care to listen if they are bored. Graphic novels wake up something in the minds of children and young adults, and what we saw last week, it also wakes up the minds of college students. They can also help with reading skills and to have students practice forming plots on stories and organization of papers.