Learning from experience: a teacher using what she learnt as a student
When I was a student, my EFL teacher realised I loved graphic novels, and introduced materials such as Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi to our lessons. I loved those lessons, not just because of the break from the textbooks, but because the material was chosen for me. I was not only learning a foreign language, but expanding my thinking, my creativity, reading about characters and worlds that felt real. Through those pages and my teacher’s well-crafted lessons, but also our fun and spontaneous conversations, I became more in touch with my feelings. My teacher asked questions such as “Why do you think the protagonist feels this way?” or more guided questions, like “Is it ok for the character to hurt others because they were hurt in the past?”. I gained new emotional, interpersonal and intrapersonal perspectives.
Driven by this positive experience as a learner, I’ve continued to use graphic novels in my own teaching and in this article, I will share some ideas on how to utilise graphic novels as alternative material for enjoyable activities that will foster social-emotional learning (SEL).
Graphic novels and SEL
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a crucial aspect of education and human development. It’s the process by which all adolescents and adults learn and practise the knowledge, abilities, and attitudes necessary to create and maintain supportive relationships, feel and act empathetically toward others, control emotions and accomplish individual/group objectives, and form and maintain healthy identities (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning/CASEL, no date).
The medium of graphic novels is (in general) better to address questions of self and social-emotional themes. As educators, we can utilise it to start discussions around our students’ self-awareness, sense of community and social responsibility, empathy, relationships, cultural awareness and ethical decision-making, as well as enhance their visual literacy (RHCB: Random House Teachers & Librarians, 2021). Students can engage in self-reflection on the social and emotional lives of people they read graphic novels about, and then consider how those experiences relate to or diverge from their own lives (Halley, 2021). Seeing someone who’s similar to us may be very beneficial and affirming. It’s encouraging to sense that someone else is thinking like us (Jenks & Alverson, 2018). When I started teaching, I realised how important it would be for teens to be exposed to the diverse characters and worlds of graphic novels.
Suggested activities:
(can be applied to most graphic novels)
SEL & Visual Literacy:
Read the first few pages (or the first chapter) of your chosen graphic novel. Have the students observe the visual style and how it contributes to the story.
Look at the colour palette. Does it complement the story’s mood and/or plot?
Look at the setting. Is it vibrant, pop-art-like and crowded or dark/earthy and stark/frugal? Does this tell you anything about the story you’ll read?
Look at the characters. How are they dressed? What’s their body language and expressions? Can you tell how they’re feeling before they’ve said anything?
How are light and shadow being used?
SEL & Empathy/Emotional Awareness:
Read the whole graphic novel, either in parts in class or as homework.
Ask every student to choose a character and have them do a profile of them. What do we know about their past? What do we know about their morals and ideals? What are their emotions about their situation? How do they relate to everyone else?
Ask every student to choose the character which best represents them. Why do they believe so? What are their similarities and differences?
SEL & Ethical/Responsible decision-making:
Pick a few key plot-points within the novel. What important decisions are made? Do you agree or disagree?
What would the students do in the characters’ place? Are the characters’ decisions impulsive or well-thought out? Are they selfish or altruistic?
SEL & Cultural Awareness (the below mostly work with novels set in other cultures/allegorical settings referencing real cultures/characters experiencing new cultures):
What customs and habits can the students list from the novel’s setting? Are they reminiscent of their own cultural backgrounds? Write/talk about how those customs are interesting.
Do the characters move to a foreign setting? If yes, do they face discrimination, ignorance or racism?
How do characters deal with being away from home and/or with being different?
Some general considerations:
Many graphic novels are not appropriate for all ages. Choose according to your class’s age group and -if still in doubt- seek the school’s consent. Marvel and DC Comics have their own rating systems, which are quite reliable.
As happens with all literature, graphic novels may contain triggering words/images/instances. Evaluate carefully before introducing something to your class, although it’s vital for teenagers to be introduced to harsh realities now and then.
Don’t shun material because you find the art simplistic/generic. Every style serves a purpose, and some stories are complemented by more straightforward imagery. Likewise, don’t necessarily go for colourfulness/flashiness. Teens will appreciate finer details or symbolisms hidden in darker/earthy colour palettes more than expected.
Don’t think of graphic novels as “for girls/boys”. Everything can be engaging for everyone.
Don’t think of using graphic novels (or other alternatives) as a distraction or a waste of time. Consider how much your students will practice their productive skills (Speaking & Writing) through analysing, interpreting and debating about the material, especially if they are studying for an advanced qualification (C1-C2) and they need to hone their abstract thinking skills.
Some suggestions according to CEFR level, age, and themes:
B1+ / ages 9-11:
-Tom’s Midnight Garden: Graphic Novel (2016) by Philippa Pearce (urban isolation, childhood friendship, the passage of time)
-Wildfire: A Graphic Novel (2023) by Breena Bard (climate change, environmental activism, community engagement)
B2 / ages 12-14:
-Anya’s Ghost (2011) by Vera Brosgol (teen social isolation, immigration, immigrant experience at school, peer pressure, coming-of-age)
-Batman: Nightwalker (graphic novel) (2019) by Marie Lu (coming-of-age, mystery, friendship)
C1-C2 / ages 15-17:
-The Complete ‘Persepolis’: Volumes 1 and 2 (2007) by Marjane Satrapi (cultural awareness, racism, class struggles, social isolation, immigration, immigrant experience at school, substance abuse, mental health, friendship, family, coming-of-age)
-Maus: A Survivor's Tale (1991) by Art Spiegelman (fascism, the Holocaust, war, history, trauma & survivor’s guilt, race & class, war, grief & memory, intergenerational trauma)
-V for Vendetta (1989, collected edition of 2005) by Alan Moore (fascism, nationalism & white supremacy, revolution, bigotry, propaganda, freedom, trauma, orphanhood, sexual exploitation, war) [suggested for 17 and older]
Conclusions:
Let’s consider this question: what do teenagers and children read anyway? I can broadly think of four things: social media posts, YA fiction, fantasy and graphic novels/comics. When we incorporate what they appreciate in the curriculum, we show our interest, while we make sure they actively participate in their own emotional and personal growth. I discovered comics and graphic novels when I was about 10. It could’ve been the latest issue of Detective Comics (the first series to feature Batman), Legends (a manga in the Warcraft universe) or something different. From both the aforementioned, and many others, I expanded my English vocabulary immensely. I would pester my English tutor, asking “Hey, what does this mean?” while pointing to an unfamiliar word in a speech bubble. My English tutor saw this fascination and through this understanding, we shared a meaningful learning experience.
Works referenced:
Alverson, B. & Jenks, J. (2018). ‘Teens, Graphic Novels, and Mental Health: An Interview with Dr. Jennifer Jenks’. School Library Journal. https://goodcomicsforkids.slj.com/2018/03/15/teens-graphic-novels-and-mental-health-an-interview-with-dr-jennifer-jenks/.
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning/CASEL (no date). ‘Fundamentals of SEL’. CASEL. https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/.
Halley, L. (2021). ‘Graphic Novel Column: Medium Matters: SEL & Graphic Novels’. Massachusetts School Library Association. https://www.maschoolibraries.org/newsletter/graphic-novel-column-medium-matters-sel-graphic-novels.
RHCB: Random House Teachers & Librarians (2021). ‘Social Emotional Learning with Graphic Novels’. Penguin Random House. https://images.penguinrandomhouse.com/promo_image/9781524719371_9018.pdf.
