Halcolm & The Evaluator's Quest

As Halcolm so wisely shows us, many times the answers we seek are within ourselves!

The Disciples of Halcolm

Here is another of Halcolm's Research Parables by Michael Patton, illustrated by me.

The Challenge to Care in Schools

This comic is my submission to a proposed book called Letters to Nell. It is a book of letters from educators to Nell Noddings, author of a great book called The Challenge to Care in Schools. Teacher College Press says that the book:

envisions a school system built on the idea that different people have different strengths, and that these strengths should be cultivated in an environment of caring, not of competition. She suggests that if we make the responsiveness characteristic of caring more basic than accountability, we can accommodate both traditional and progressive preferences in one school system to the benefit of all . . . especially the children.

My "letter" is in comic strip form. The kind of teaching described by Noddings reminded me of my high school art teacher, Kathryn Rice-Cummings. This comic is my tribute to teachers like her!

Halcolm's Guide for Gormands

Here's another comic illustrating one of Halcolm's Research Parables by Michael Q. Patton. This author plans to use some of these in the next edition of his textbook on Qualitative Research.

Halcolm's Research Parables

(Inspired by a story by M.Q. Patton)

This comic is another that is inspired by one of Halcolm's Research Parables. Halcolm (pronounced, "How Come?") is the creation of author and qualitative researcher M.Q. Patton, who creates these stories to illustrate concepts related to being a researcher. In my interpretation of these stories, the wise master is showing me the ropes -- in this case, literally!

My dissertation is taking over my brain

sketch (skech)n.

1. A hasty or undetailed drawing or painting often made as a preliminary study.

2. A brief general account or presentation; an outline.


This sketch is called, "My Dissertation is Taking Over my Brain." The farther you go in the process, the less your brain allows itself to be used for other functions.

Halcolm

Here is another comic inspired by the parables of Halcolm, a fictional character of Michael Quinn Patton's. I have promised myself, that no matter what, I am always going to make a little time for making art. Right now, that amounts to about two pages of comics a week. Whenever I get an idea for a comic, I jot it down. Then, I pick the idea I like best to make into a comic.

For now, I am enjoying making comics that illustrate something I'm learning in my course work. Eventually, some of these may find their way into my dissertation.

Innovator vs. Qualitative Scholar

I've been doing a lot of reading from educational journals and textbooks. That reading can sometimes be kind of dry, so I really appreciate how author Michael Quinn Patton writes in an informal style and includes a lot of parables, jokes and cartoons.

This comic is inspired by one of Halcolm's Law's of Inquiry. Halcolm is a fictional sage-like character created by Patton, a qualitative research expert. The cartoon guy standing next to "cartoon me" is how I picture this character.

This cartoon illustrates how there's a lot more involved in doing research than you might think at first!

Curriculum Comics #4: Multiple Intelligences

This is something I made as a final assignment for a class I just finished. I especially enjoyed illustrating the ideas and theories of Howard Gardner and Thomas Armstrong as I was learning about them myself.

Curriculum Comics #3: Classroom Discipline

I've just completed issue #3 of Curriculum Comics! This issue is on the subject of discipline. This series of comics have all been made as part of my pursuit to get my PhD in Curriculum and Teaching. This is how I make them. I choose a topic for a final project for each course. Then I research that topic. I read everything I can find on the subject. While I'm reading, ideas come to mind. I make some sketches here and there. Then I put it all together in a way that presents what I've learned and reflected on.

So there's a lot of truth and facts in each one, but they're presented (hopefully) in a humorous way.

I Wonder

I created this quick one page comic and made copies to handout at a teacher inservice I was presenting a while back. It was our first activity -- an icebreaker. My goal was to get teachers thinking about how it can be so easy to want to just approach our classes with an objective and try to yank them out of where there thoughts currently are. Even teachers sometimes have their minds on other things! Are there some times when we can make good use of what our students are obsessing about as a writing or drawing prompt?

Curriculum Comics #2: Learning Styles Part 2

The second issue of Curriculum Comics is finished! First of all is the cover above. Now, on to the rest of the comic.