Toward the beginning of starting the project, I struggled to decide upon what sort of image I wanted to use. I knew I would be utilizing ThingLinkas my digital platform, though. With this in mind, I decided upon utilizing an infographic that displayed statistics on disability visibility for television. This is useful because it provides crucial information on the topic before I even added any links. Compounded to the information I gathered and added to it, I think it bolsters the image better than if I simply presented the image alone. It allows the audience more interactions, as well as a chance to explore the research I have gathered on the topic. The creation of this visualization undoubtedly deepened my understanding of the topic in ways reading alone might not have. It provided useful graphs charts and graphs that made some information clearer. These statistics were not present within the readings and are very useful when talking about this topic. Even better, this infographic expands past the narrow focus I was dedicated to and observes how few actors with disabilities actually play characters with disabilities. Besides providing these useful visual components, the project also provided a brief summary of what disability visibility consists of. This allows me to save time in explaining that and simply provide more supplementary information that I want to share in the lessons.This process had convinced me that visualization is a powerful vehicle for learning. When students are attracted to the infographic and gain new insights from it, they will likely desire to learn more; these infographics can also convince more apprehensive students to participate more by drawing them in with easy-to-understand visuals.They also offer the students ‘chunk-size’ information, so it will be easier for them to recall the main ideas from the lesson. The short passages and straight-forward visuals make this project easily readable and useful for learners.Beyond that, this process taught me that visualization could be a useful tool for my future teaching because it provides an array of activities. This is important in special education, where the students are all at varying levels of academic performance. Moreover, visualization can provide room for unique activities if used appropriately. In that same vein, since infographics are so often used, exposing students to them would be good for their development. The ultimate test of this could be having students create their own infographics. If students create one, they will be using their skills in technology, visualization, and creativity. Overall, working on this project taught me more about visualization and provided me the opportunity to plan how to use it in future lessons.
Introduction: The text I will be analyzing in my
inquiry blog will be appropriate for my current placement. To that extent, my
current placement is at a middle school working with eighth-graders who have
disabilities. What I hope to accomplish with my text set is to develop a
conversation about disability through
analyzing the mediums of anime, manga, and comics. While I have an idea of
where the discussion could go, I would love to see where my students would take
it. The topic of disability is one that is hardly broached in schools, and hopefully, these texts could help students
learn more about their peers and maybe even themselves.
IWANTEDWINGS. (2014, March 10). Disability Visibility in Comics & Manga. Retrieved September 11, 2017, from https://iwantedwings.com/2014/03/10/disability-visibility-in-comics-manga/
Summary: The first piece, “Disability
Visibility in Comics & Manga,” demonstrates the basic ideas I wish to
convey. It discusses different portrayals of characters with disabilities in
manga and comics, contrasting strong, believable characters against ones simply
included for representation. This is accomplished through going over various
examples from the mediums. Simply including characters for representation is
when creator just shoe-horns a character with a disability into s series to
say, "Hey, look! My series has a diverse set of characters!" These
'inclusions' are then forced to the sideline as their non-disabled peers save
the day and steal the spotlight; this all occurs because the author never had
any intention to have these characters be anything but their disability. The
article also takes time to define what good representation through the example
of Nic from Gangsta. Nic is deaf but that does not define him as a person. In
fact, the series only once even brings up the fact once. The reader would only
know about his deafness from the different colored speech bubbles the author
uses for him.
Qualitative: The text structure seems moderately
complex. Throughout the text, multiple
characters and stories are addressed, which may be slightly confusing, but it
is aided by the use of graphics. The organization is also very standard for a
blog article, and most kids should have some experience with this type of
literature. The language features would also be moderately complex. While there
are a few challenging vocabulary words scattered here and there, the article is
generally written quite casually. The way it is written similar to a
conversation should actually help most students work their way through it. The
meaning would likely be slightly complex. The theme of disability
representation is clear throughout; nothing is presented subtlety at all, so
the ideas should not be too difficult to grasp. Finally, the knowledge demand
would have to be moderately complex. The author introduces quite a few
characters, and while he does not expect the readers to know who these
characters are, background knowledge would still be useful. The text also
delves a little into mental disorders, which many students may not know much
about. It appears appropriate to assign this text a moderately complex rating.
Vocabulary:
expositional
detriment
impairment
allegorical
embodiment mental disorder
Quantitative: Plugging the article into StoryToolz
elicited an average grade level of 9.9. This seems reasonable to me; although,
I would argue that this text could still be used as low as eighth-grade with
appropriate vocabulary support. The article is longer, though, so perhaps it
may be appropriate to assign/read it in smaller chunks.
Reader and Task: This article would be a great
introductory text to the topic of disability representation. There is a whole bunch of room for teaching about the variety of disabilities the introductory section introduces. The article also takes a look at mental disorders, which many people seem to neglect mentioning or educating themselves about. More than that, the text does a great
job of differentiating between including for representation and actual
representation, which is a key component for students to recognize. Through all
the various examples this text is a great starting point to these two forms of
media as well. It begins to demonstrate the differences in how our culture and Japanese culture see and write about people with disabilities. Beyond all that, it also summarizes quite a few stories that
will hopefully peek the students’ interest, so they will read some of them and
bring those texts to the discussion.
Scope. (2017, February 08). Disabled children and their parents discuss disability representation in literature - Scope. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E9xYFTwrF0
Summary: A wonderful video about disability
representation in literature (and other
forms of media). It features children with disabilities and their parents talking
about the lack of relevant characters. One of the parents actually creates a
comic book, with his daughter, where the characters’ disabilities are their
superpowers. This gives the kids at the comic convention relatable heroes to
look up to and inspiration to create their own.
Qualitative: The text structure of a video is
difficult to determine, but it may be beneficial for some students if I
transcribe the video and give them a text they can refer to. Either way, I
would place it at moderately complex because while it may be easier for some
students to watch a video, it may also make it more difficult for others. The
whole ‘text’ is obviously entirely visual too, so certain learners should
benefit from this aspect. The language features would be slightly complex since
only the three vocabulary words below would be hard for some students.
Otherwise, the sentence structure and conventionality are all contemporary and
steeped in everyday conversation. Likely, the purpose is slightly complex
because the video never strays from its purpose of needing more representation
of people with disabilities in literature. Finally, the knowledge demand is
slightly complex. This video does not expect the audience to know much about the
subject matter. In fact, they explicitly state in the description that “lots of people either don't know much
about disability or only have a limited view.” For the intertextuality
component, the video does not make references to anything that students would
need to know. In the end, this multimedia text would be slightly complex and
could be used in a variety of classroom and contexts.
Vocabulary:
paramount
spina bifida
“relevant”
Quantitative: I transcribed the first 100 words of the
video and put it into StoryToolz, which came back with a grade level 5.6. That
score makes sense, considering the vocabulary is simple. Since the multimedia
text keeps the theme straightforward, grades 5 and up should be able to glean the appropriate message. All the personal anecdotes should make it more
meaningful and will help students better
understand why this inclusion is so important. It’s also quite short, which
means even students with short attention spans should be able to view the video
in its entirety.
Reader and Task: While this video does not directly relate
to anime, manga, or comic books, it directly relates to the topic. To this
extent, showing this video at the very start of the unit could get students thinking about why it matters.
Hopefully, this would prevent or answer the relevancy of this topic to their
lives. Another benefit is the sheer amount of pre-reading activities this video
could lend itself to like creating their own superheroes with disabilities, a
discussion, or a writing activity. Overall, this multimedia text would serve as
a powerful start to a new lesson.
Mack , D. (1999).Daredevil: The Man Without Fear (Vol. 2, Episode 9).
Summary: There are so many different texts
I believe could have gone here, but if I had to just pick one I would say Daredevil (1999-2003) would be fantastic
for most of the class. It used to be one of my favorite comic books and
features both a strong female and male lead. Daredevil is left blind from an accident and learns to
navigate his way through the world without his sight; Echo, on the other hand,
deals with being born deaf, as well as dealing with the prejudice from being the
daughter of a Native-American gangster and Hispanic mother. The series deals
with more than the fanfare of having superpowers. It delves directly into their
disabilities/race and the associated prejudices with them. For example, just
within volume 2.9 alone, it shows the
bullying Echo endured at school and the Non-24 Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder that Daredevil experiences.
Qualitative: For this analysis, I utilized volume 2.9 since that is the volume in which Echo
first appears. Across this span of the series, the language and style never
really change so this analysis is appropriate for Daredevil in general. The
text structure is slightly complex because almost everything is written in
speech bubbles. Everything is fairly clear and there are no complex themes to
decipher. All the pictures of the progressing plot will definitely assist the
students in following the story as well. Language features would fall under slightly
complex also. Neither the conventionality or vocabulary is complex or removed
from everyday life. The meaning of the text is to entertain; however, I would
argue its purpose is slightly more complex than that. This comic also deals
with disabilities of its main characters in a realistic manner, but some of the
dealings (seeing the beauty in music, for example) are subtler. For this reason,
I would rate the meaning between moderately and slightly complex. The
experiences portrayed in this story should be very familiar or relatable for
the majority of the students in my class. To this extent, I believe the
knowledge demands would be moderately complex. There are multiple themes
explored in the text including disability, race, and bullying. There is also a
cultural allusion in the text about Echo’s Native American background that some
students may not understand.
Vocabulary: N/A
Quantitative: StoryToolz rated this story at an average grade level of
2.6, which is quite appropriate. The comic book is extremely short and perfect
for hesitant readers or struggling readers to begin building confidence. There
really are not any difficult words that would trip students up either.
Reader and Task: This would be a great
text to get students reading! I would love to use it as some kind of outside
reading project since I feel it would be
interesting enough that students would want to read on their own. The main
reason I choose this book, though, is because I believe many of the students
could connect to the characters. This comic book is more about superpowers, it is about Matt Murdock—the civilian side of Daredevil. Students should be able to relate to his struggles of balancing work, relationships, and his life in the slums of New York City. Even though, the text
is slightly dated, the characters talk similar the way my students do. Finally,
I truly believe the unique intrigue and focus of this comic book will draw
students in and allow for meaningful learning/discussion. Furthermore, as suggested in the comment section, if the students truly love this series perhaps they would be interested in reading his origin stories based on his struggles as a child coming to terms with his blindness. Hopefully, they are inspired to further venture and find more reading materials by themselves too.
Summary: This text is extremely
detailed on the representation of characters with disabilities in anime. I
would only since use this text with a junior or senior class, though, because
the content is mature and difficult to discuss.
Multimedia Text:
A Silent Voice: The Movie
Kyoto Animation. (2017, March 03). A Silent Voice - Koe No Katachi - Official Trailer (FULL HD). Retrieved September 16, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watchtime_continue=102&v=Ivrq1ZwsRps
Summary: This movie boasts an impressive number of accolades. On top of
that, it tackles tons of important themes like bullying, disability,
depression, and suicide. Again, I would only use this multimedia source with a
high-school class because of the mature themes.
Culturally Relevant Text:
Student's attitudes to the inclusion of people with disabilities in the community
Schwartz, C., & Armony-Sivan, R. (2001). Students' attitudes to the
inclusion of people with disabilities in the community. Disability &
Society, 16(3), 403-413.
Summary: This article delves into the reason why communities sometime
exclude those with disabilities. My last placement used portions of this
articles to address tough issues and the students were able to work through
tough situations this way. I think this is a piece that could also be extremely
relevant to my students, and even though it is extremely difficult, certain
parts could be useful to this topic and their lives in general.
I have been watching (and loving) these types of stories since I was a freshman in
high school. While this alone obviously does not make me an expert or give me
any real authority on the subject, I like to think I have a firm grasp of the
tropes commonly employed in these medias. Beyond that, I also know which
characters and respective media would be appropriate to utilize in the classroom. Within this topic, there also
appears to be a lack of research. If that indeed turns out to
be the case, this may be a unique opportunity to delve into this premise and develop a unique lesson for my students. Overall,
the main aspect I want to know about the topic is why is there such an under-representation
of characters portrayed with disabilities, as well as the way in which these
characters are portrayed. All of this will likely reveal the displacement of
real people with disabilities within the mainstream culture.
There is, of course,
lots of information I don’t know. It remains a necessity to further investigate
Japanese (and our) culture and learn more about their perspectives on disabilities. With this
knowledge, the connection between reality and the views displayed in their
animated medias will become clearer. This will be my main priority before
delving further into other perspective findings. Also, while doing a
preliminary search for research, there are some shows I am unfamiliar with.
This will require me to learn more about these if I wish to present them
appropriately as a point of relevance. In addition, I will have to search more titles
to see if there are other appropriate
pieces to use for this lesson. There also will probably be some key
vocabulary I will have to further investigate and define for myself and the students. A final aspect I’d like to know about is whether inclusion has
increased in the years or not in these medias.
The point of this lesson plan is to get them excited about reading and perhaps help them find literature/media that will interest them. Through this discovery they may come to better understand themselves and their potential in the world around them. In the end, though, the most important thing is that my students get to read about a character who is relatable to them and/or their classmates.
Hello, my name is Larry Martin. I am a junior this year and am pursuing a degree in early adolescence-adolescence exceptional education. This semester I will be doing field work at Fairview Elementary, and I’m very excited for the opportunity. I’ve always known that I’ve wanted to teach, and I hope to be able to make a significant difference in my students’ lives. To this extent, I am also interested in the research side of the special education field as well—specifically as it correlates to teaching. It would be amazing to write an academic paper and get it published, especially if it can help the kids I’ll be working with every day. Overall, through pursuing teaching as a career, I hope to help bring my students’ dreams to fruition.
