This interdisciplinary, conceptual analysis addresses the nature and benefits of artistic processes in learning and work. While recognizing various forms of artistry, the emphasis is on visual-spatial thinking. The benefits of this kind of thinking in academic and professional activities include the simplification of massively complex writing,…

Coming of age themes are common in young adult novels, and graphic novels in particular often address these issues as illustrated memoirs. This article explores engaging and interesting graphic novels about growing up, useful resources for school librarians and other educators using this format, and the value of using graphic novels to support…

As reasons to promote the inclusion of graphic novels in the curriculum expand, many teachers have yet to incorporate graphic novels into their teaching repertoire. In this article, two teacher educators describe a systematic approach that they use to teach preservice teachers how to read graphic novels, focusing on specific strategies in three…

Motivation and engagement are often barriers to literacy for adolescent readers. Traditionally, the graphic novel has been seen as easy to read and a resource that only has value for students with language difficulties or learning challenges. This qualitative case study investigated how middle school readers' ability to make meaning contributed to…

We constructed a new taxonomy for inferential thinking, a construct called Integrative Inferential Reasoning (IIR). IIR extends Pearson and Johnson's (1978) framework of "text-implicit" and "script-implicit" question-answer relations, and integrates several other prominent literacy theories to form a unified inferential…

The present study aimed to determine the viewpoints of student teachers at a state university in Turkey about the most important social, environmental, and global problems. For this purpose, one of the qualitative research methods, the art-based research method was adopted. The participants' cartoon drawings were utilized as the data collecting…

Teachers and students require a range of tools to engage with visual texts. Using "The Great American Dust Bowl" by Don Brown (2013) as an exemplar text, we outline four conceptions of visual literacy: rhetorical, instructional, industrial and visuo-spatial and discuss their use in our literacy education practice. In addition, we provide…

It would not be presumptuous to say that the younger generation is not reading at a sustained level. Many people view sustained reading as overly time-consuming and unable to meet the instant gratification that social media so readily provides. Educators are embracing the reality that, as a consequence, students' learning styles have also changed.…

The primary goal of this study was to investigate, document, and understand the reasons that educators who use graphic novels in their classrooms choose to use them, rather than traditional text. Secondary goals were to identify the classes they teach, and to identify commonalities and shared best practices. Interviews were scheduled, to provide…

Visual storytelling comes in many forms (e.g. films, comics, photographs, commercials) and is used for a range of purposes (e.g. to entertain, inform, persuade). Technological advances are enabling non-specialists to be consumers and producers of these works. Although many people are growing up surrounded by visual works, this does not mean that…

This article discusses the potential and challenges of teaching a second-semester German class with Simon Schwartz's graphic novel "drüben!" (2009) alongside a traditional textbook. While the class explored linguistic, literary, and cultural-historical aspects of "drüben!," a GDR-themed family memoir, the focus here is on those…

Learners with poor reading skills are less able to acquire knowledge through text. Graphic novels may enhance reading comprehension skills owing to fewer words, more pictures, and an engaging storyline. This study considered the reading skills of 188 Chinese-English bilingual undergraduates, comparing their reading comprehension performance after…

The purpose of this article is to provide teachers and students useful methods for utilizing the power of comic books as literacy sponsors in ELA classrooms. Given the continued boom in the popularity of comics in popular culture, this provides a relevant way to introduce students to visual and critical analysis. Engaging in meaningful analysis of…

This article argues that instructors can effectively implement visual and multi-modal methods often used in beginner and intermediate courses as effective building blocks to develop skills of literary analysis. The article presents aspects of a mini-curriculum based on "Die Verwandlung," the graphic novel, and examples of student work…

The article describes how one student in a summer enrichment English class used fictional elements and images in comic form to represent her identity and the emotional truth of difficult experiences. The course was taught at an annual summer academy that encouraged academically minded 15-year-old and 16-year-old students to spend three weeks…