Media workstation : using cartoons and comics in lessons

Abstract

The teacher's store of resources is not unlimited, but there is more than enough to go round, depending on the resourcefulness of those who look for teaching aids in all walks of life and not just in the obvious books and resource centres. The best resources are culled from the world of the learners themselves, as these can be used to bridge the gap between outside and inside the classroom. Children often make a very clear cut distinction between what happens in their "real life" and their "school" life. Teaching methodologies that harp too much on the academic tends to corroborate this artificial division. Even homework is considered by young students to be an extension of the "school", separated by a wall of attitude from, say, watching an imated cartoons on television or going out to play with friends. The closer the teacher brings the two worlds together, the better the chances of negating an attitude regardin g sc hool that hinders enjoyment and, as a direct consequence, learning.