Andrew Davis, University High School; Anita Beaman, University High School
Technological advances are rapidly expanding the possibilities for creative research in the high school curriculum. In this session, the presenters will explore the ways that the unlimited information available to students online has pedagogical implications for teaching writing in the history classroom, presenting a model that addresses possibilities for not only the teaching of research methods, but also the ways that research can be presented in alternative formats, leading to a richer experience and a deeper understanding for the student. The approach focuses on giving students the opportunity to research and write/illustrate graphic texts. The presenters contend that a thesis can be illustrated through plot and image, and that students will gain a deeper understanding of a period and culture through this medium than through the traditional research report. Through this approach (which is based on the concepts of bricolage and intertextuality), students are exposed to the kind of creative work many of them will use in their academic endeavors and work lives. The presenters will analyze published graphic novels as well as student texts to support demonstrate the model.
