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Focus Education


Is Dennis really a menace?


Even a child with minimal reading skills can be enticed into the fast-moving pace and rich literature the comic strip off ers, says Glynis Weston


For 300 years the British have been at


the forefront of political and social caricature and cartooning. Our current political cartoonists are highly regarded worldwide Ronald Searle, Ralph Steadman and Gerald Scarfe – to name but a few, show that we are still resolutely at the top of our game.


The Cartoon Museum


In 2006, cartoonist Oliver Preston founded the Cartoon Museum showcasing British cartoons, caricature and comic art in London. Their popularity is refl ected in the success of the 18th Young Cartoonist of the Year competition, supported by Private Eye, as well as all the national newspapers. Judges including cartoonist luminaries, Mac, Matt, Steve Benn, Peter Brookes and Oliver Preston select winners of the under 30s and under 18s sections for their wit, satire, social observation and good drawing. The museum has become a


byword for cartoons; holding cartoon and animation courses. A grant from Deutsche Bank enabled the museum to lay down the foundations for a programme of citizenship relating to Britain’s cartooning heritage and which tied into the national curriculum. In 2011, the museum had 97 in-house and outreach classes teaching 1,500 children in South East and hospital schools. “It is extraordinary how children relate to being taught how to draw cartoons. It gives them a sense of real achievement,” says Preston who off ers half term and holiday sessions at the museum for a small fee. The Cartoon Museum, 35 Little Russell Street, London WC1A 2HH. www.cartoonmuseum.org


Sadly


the demise of the majority of children’s comics does mean that few children


experience the delights of waiting for their favourite comic to fall through the letterbox. Many adults can still recall the anticipation and excitement at its arrival and being able to catch up with the next installment of a favourite story. However, children of today still enjoy the


format and even though few regularly receive a weekly comic, many still appreciate the style of presentation. Publishers have been quick to recognise the appeal and to use the comic strip format as a way of catching children’s interest and imagination in books. This is not only with simple stories but also with more challenging text. Some time ago, I introduced Macbeth to a class of 11 year- olds using comic strip books. They loved the story and the book provided a good background before they saw the play at the theatre. Signifi cantly, it was always very noticeable that


during wet break times in class, it was most often the boys who gravitated to the pile of dog-eared comics. The ease of accessibility, linked with the fact that comics usually focus on the genres which often appeal to boys – adventure stories, science fi ction and fantasy – probably provides one of the key advantages of comics; they off er an attractive way of interesting even the most disaff ected children in stories. The clear way in which the narrative is presented


helps children to sequence a storyline. A well-used approach for developing a young child’s ability to sequence is to present a story in comic strip format in the wrong order and ask the child to re-order it. Children often enjoy this exercise, perceiving it to be fun rather than “real work”. Other early reading skills in which comics


provide practice are tracking from left to right and prediction. The discussion with a child about what is likely to happen in a comic story can also be useful for language enhancement. Visual learners, in particular, fi nd the comic strip approach a useful way of presenting and remembering information. In this way, children are able to order their thoughts before writing. Dialogue can be taught most successfully through comic strips.


www.fi rstelevenmagazine.co.uk Michaelmas 2011 FirstEleven 45 Unfortunately, comics do also have their critics.


Some teachers view them as an insignifi cant aid and criticise the often short sentence structure and frequent use of exclamations. Parents, also, do not always see their value. After asking a group of 12 and 13-year-old boys if they read comics, several were obviously regular partakers. However, one boy wistfully said, “I would if I could, but my Dad doesn’t like


them. He thinks they’re not good for me.” Clearly not everyone agrees, but from my experience the comic strip is a brilliant way of enticing even the most reluctant reader to engage with text and gives them a taste of the great wealth of literature that is available. It is true that some of the subject matter is not always of the highest standard but even the child with minimal reading skills is motivated to read by accessing fast moving and exciting stories. In my opinion the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.


Glynis Weston is the Head of Special Needs at Bruern Abbey School, Oxfordshire.


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© DC Thomson & Co. Ltd


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