KATE Conference: Learning about Graphic Learning

Attending the KATE conference for the first time was nerve-racking, but the longer I stayed for presentations the more inspired I got.  I attended many sessions, but one that I would like to share as it has instilled many different ideas in me was a presentation over graphic learning.  Many believe in graphic learning and swear by it as others believe that it does not contain enough literature and is not an effective way of reading. In this presentation however, it was clear that learning through the use of images is an effective method of learning for students.

            Our presenter, Kelly Connelly started out by discussing the many instances where her students who have never touched a book voluntarily would reach toward a novel like The Odyssey; they would finish it in one day, and would inspire several other students to do the same.  When students are reading graphic novels, they are reading: word choice, syntax, length of the sentence, flow of ideas, shapes, the size of shapes, characters, and texts, colors, shading, placement, where the text is placed, characters itself, and the size of the overall picture. Students are looking at many different elements when they are reading graphic novels, and it also helps students who have a hard time visualizing the text. Being able to picture what is being read is a skill, and utilizing graphic novels can teach students how important this skill is.

            If teachers don’t have time to teach a graphic novel, graphic learning could be taught through excerpts as well. Students can practice graphic learning by taking a given word and the depicting it through a drawing. Teachers can also have students look at a small part of a text and then allow students to circle the words that stood out and brought strength to the text. Then show an image that modeled the small excerpt and discuss with students to see whether or not their circled words were depicted in the image. An example that Connelly recommended others use was an excerpt from The Odyssey where Cyclops lost his eye. It is a passage packed with numerous amounts of sensory details that could be visualized.

            It is important to give the students a chance to read what they enjoy reading, and graphic novels is one of them. Attending this session over graphic learning has not only taught me the many tips of tricks to teach graphic learning, but it has become something that I want to protect and keep around for my students. I want graphic novels to be kept around for my students, especially those who struggle with reading comprehension.

            The KATE conference was such an amazing and moving event. I definitely look forward to what the next conference has to offer.