This story details a little about something called Reading with Pictures, which I may just have to learn more about. Apparently it is a research initiative geared towards giving teachers quantitative data about comics and learning.
Pandering, one could call it, the skeptic in me says, but, then again, I've also called for this sort of data, so I won't be critical at this point.
What is really needed is for teachers not to enjoy playing "administrator" when someone is talking to them about the research we do have that suggests comics can be good for kids. This research is mostly qualitative in nature, but teachers often want "data" as they have come to narrowly define it/as their leaders narrowly define it for them: as numbers and correlations. Qualitative data is still data. And focusing only on quantitative measures alone is always dangerous business. There are always too many unexplored variables.
I welcome and embrace efforts to establish quantitative data, but I think we need to work the "qualitative is important too" angle more as well. Teachers inherently know of its importance as they continually make the case for other assessment measures to be valued rather than only seeing student growth in end-of-year, multiple choice tests, and comics-and-literacy advocates need to play up this fact. It's a way to break down an "us vs. them" (comics advocates vs. educators) model while establishing another (those who understand what teachers go through and want vs. those who have power over them but don't seem to care about what they want or what they know) that we could work to our advantage.
Here's an experiment for you: Choose any work of traditional text that is currently taught in high school English classes, and do a database search for any quantitative evidence that is improves students' lives or literacy skills. Find anything? At least when you search for "cartoons" and "quantitative research" you get back a nice bunch of articles. Yet, despite an absence of quantitative-based studies that prove Shakespeare increases knowledge, you're not about to toss the Bard out on his ass, are you? Even if you wanted to, you might not be able to due to curricular constraints.
The bigger issue here is that it is the teacher and the strategy that makes the major difference, not so much the text as text, but the text as well-examined text.
If the organization has some good experiment ideas, I'd love to be involved. I think they're working with a professor from Northwestern, so that's exciting. As I learn more, I'll post more. Hopefully I will have the chance to learn more.
If you're involved with the project and you're reading this, gimme a shout at my UTEP e-mail address, will ya? Salivate at the potential of study sites in a high-poverty, high minority urban setting away from Chicago. Eschew deep dish pizza for some data sessions over chile rellenos. I know you want to! ;)
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