People are already working on these kinds of things. OK, I admit creating story narratives for math is tough - that was always my worst subject - but I'm sure someone much more capable than me is doing it right now.Īnd that's the good news. History might be the easiest, but this approach can also be brought to English (time and again, teachers are saying reluctant readers love comics), science and math. And not just the one moment (already captured by Emanuel Leutze's iconic painting) but the sequential moments before, during and after, which builds understanding and context, not just temporarily memorized facts. history is actually pretty crazy and interesting on its own, but the engagement level will increase exponentially if we actually experience the story of Washington crossing the Delaware. That doesn't mean a history comic needs to give George Washington a ruby-quartz visor and Spandex, of course (although that would be pretty awesome!). presidents, probably more like a litany of facts occasionally brought to life by a good teacher. Meanwhile, there was a dry narrative tied to the U.S. Why? Because there is a colorful narrative in comics form tied to Cyclops that captured my imagination when I was young. I could chronologically sort Cyclops' outfits over the past 50 years faster than I could list the first 10 presidents of the United States. Just look at how easily we superhero fans memorize our favorite character's power levels, sound effects, costumes and history. Comics are probably more able to combine story and information simultaneously, more effectively and seamlessly, than almost any other medium.

Image-based storytelling is a powerful educational tool. After all, the brain processes images 60,000 times faster than it processes text. It's gratifying to see for the already-converted, but it should also be a strong signal to publishers and educators that the recent exploration of comics in schools is the right way to go. This doesn't come as a surprise to a lot of us, but a recent study confirms what's been theorized for years: Comics are a stronger learning tool than text books.

Shortcomings comic