“ The implication of this is all too clear—“cultivating a student’s interest in reading can help overcome home disadvantages” (OECD, 2004, p. 8)… By foregrounding in the classroom substantive topics that can be related to students’ own experiences, multiliteracies pedagogy works to promote learning that recognizes students’ own knowledge resources, which in turn affirms students’ identities as learners and thinkers.”

— Critical Literacies and Graphic Novels, Chun (pp.145)

I remembered that I have read an article saying that students from high SES know more vocabulary words than students from lower SES, not to mention those immigrants. One of my classmates raised this question that if this is the case then how should immigrants, students who speak English as their second language to compete with these kids academically. What a surprise that one solution comes just in time — cultivating students’ reading interests! So the home-disadvantage can be minimized by building up a reading habits and thus encourage students to enlarge their vocabulary themselves.

In this sense, the first step that a teacher takes is quite essential — to have students fall in love with “reading” at the very beginning level. It actually leaves a strict requirement for teachers to choose students’ reading materials. Thanks to this article I get to know the magic power of graphic novels which I used to think as a total time-killer and rarely has positive effects on students’ academic performance. The use of graphic novels reminds me of bridging and contextualization in scaffolding strategies. To relate what students already know to what they are going to be taught can lower students anxiety when facing a completely new task and knowledge.

I also appreciate the idea that by doing so, students’ identities as learners and thinkers will be affirmed. While Adolescents are confused about themselves physically and cognitively, this is a helpful tool for them to recognize themselves and gain a self-identity, especially for those who come from marginalized communities. It satisfies adolescents’ needs of being accepted and praised as well, and I believe it can therefore build up their learning confidence.