Comics in the Classroom: Something to be Taken Seriously

Paper presented at:

“English for Mobility”
The 7th Annual CamTESOL Conference.
National Institute of Education, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
26th-27th February 2011.

Paper published in Language Education in Asia (2011), Volume 2, Issue 1, pages 92-102.

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Abstract

Children enjoy reading comics, so it makes perfect sense to use a resource such as this to enhance English language learning. By creating comics that reflect the curriculum requirements of English language teaching and learning, it is possible to create gap-fill activity cartoons in line with required schema of works and lesson plans.

This paper recounts an ongoing longitudinal project that is in the process of designing comics based on the first six years of English language basic education (primary) in Thailand. The dialogues for the comics were based on the end of year tests (O Net and N Net) widely available in bookshops and input into an internet comic making application www.makebeliefscomix.com which is free of charge. Early indications are that students benefit by the recycling of existing language and the introduction in the early years of activities such as gap-fill. Moreover, students have also been able to practice their writing as an additional activity.

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