This is a slide from a presentation I gave at The I International Conference Teaching with Comics in Valencia, October 19-21, 2022. --- There are plenty of options for educational comics in Japan. Majority of people, from children to adults, read comics to gain all kinds of knowledge in an accessible and enjoyable way. However, globally, it still isn't a popular choice among learning methods. Aha!Comics aim to expand educational comics culture and contribute to raising the educational standards worldwide. As the first phase of market research, we produced a comic on multiplication in German, supported with the local teachers' professional supervision. Distributed 2,400 free copies to elementary schools and libraries in Berlin to study how they respond. The reactions were very positive and it shown that the comics were effective for learning, because characters and scenarios created by Japanese creators were highly acceptable for German readers. --- これは、2022年10月19日～21日にバレンシアで開催されたThe I International Conference Teaching with Comicsで発表したスライドです。 タイトル: 日本から世界へ:マンガを通して学習する Aha!Comics - 日本とベルリンチームが、かけ算を学ぶためのマンガを制作しベルリンにてテストを配布 概要: 日本では、たくさんの学習マンガに溢れている。 子供から大人まで、当たり前にマンガを読み、楽しく、簡単に様々な知識を得ている。しかしながら、世界的にみると、マンガは学習方法の選択肢として一般的ではないことが分かった。 Aha!Comicsは、学習マンガ文化を拡張させ、世界の教育水準の底上げに貢献したい。 まず第一弾市場調査として、教師の専門的な監修を行いながら、ドイツ語のかけ算のマンガを制作。ベルリンの小学校や図書館などへも2400部無料配布を行い、反応を見た。 結果はポジティブな反応ばかりで、ドイツでも学習に効果があり、キャラクターやシナリオが受け入れられることがわかった。

1. Shoko Tanaka, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Aha!Comics
Aha!Comics - Japan & Berlin Team Produced Comics
to Teach Multiplication and Test-distributed in Berlin
I International Conference Teaching with Comics
@ Universitat de València, October 20th, 2022
From Japan to the World : Learning through Comics

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Outline
1. Background
2. Objective
3. Method
4. Result
5.Consideration
6. Conclusion
7. Outlook

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Background
Educational
Comics

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Background

5. Provide "Aha!" moments through educational comics, and
contribute to raising the standard of education worldwide.
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Background
Our team members have already
understood the local culture
better than other countries.
Why Germany?
German
Population
82M
22.3M
people with
migrant background
27.2％
by Germany's statistics agency Destatis (2022)
Berlin's multiracial population
is ideal for market testing.
Germany struggles with
education issues for migrants.

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Objective
?
What kind of character design
is preferred in Germany?
Can we really create comics
by ourselves from scratch?
What kind of comics
should we create?
How is German education
different from Japan?
Is there a need for educational
comics in Germany?
Can we get German educators
to support educational comics?
How hard is it to create
comics?
How would people react
if we produce educational comics?
Are educational comics really
effective as learning in Germany?

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Objective
?
What kind of character design
is preferred in Germany?
Can we really create comics
by ourselves from scratch?
What kind of comics
should we create?
How is German education
different from Japan?
Is there a need for educational
comics in Germany?
Can we get German educators
to support educational comics?
How hard is it to create
comics?
How would people react
if we produce educational comics?
Are educational comics really
effective as learning in Germany?
Research and accumulate firsthand knowledge of the German market
by actually creating our own comics with primary education content

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Method
Research Comics Production Test Distribution
German Education field With the expert supervision
of elementary school teachers
3500 copies / Free
To Elementary schools and
libraries in Berlin
1 2 3

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Method - 1: Research
Reading Textbooks and
Curriculum Guidelines
Interview with Teachers
and Parents
2 Elementary Schools
2nd grade German & Math
Elementary School
Visit
4 Elementary school teachers
over 15 Parents
Different states have
different educational policies
+ +

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Method - 2: Comics Production
Character Creation
Berlin’s Bear Japanese
Characters’ Style
Representing Human Diversity with Animals

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Method - 2: Comics Production
Story Creation
Japanese Math
Manga References
Writing
the Stories
Drawing
Rough Layouts
Inking over
Pencil Drawings

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Method - 2: Comics Production
Story Creation
Math that Children Encounter
in their Daily Life
German Elements

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Method - 2: Comics Production
✅ Is the content comprehensible to children?
✅ Are the main points of study covered?
✅ Are the diagrams correct?
✅ Are simple conversational words used by elementary school students?
✅ Are the grammar and notation correct?
✅ Are the contents and expressions culturally and customarily appropriate?
✅ Are there any expressions that are offensive to anyone?
Supervision of appropriate drawing and wording

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Method - 3: Test Distribution
Web-Questionnaire
Our Email Address & URL Collecting Feedbacks

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Result
2,414 copies
Number of Comics Distributions
131 organaizations
Elementary Schools
Libraries
Cram schools, etc.
Bookstores, etc.
Others
68
15
12
10
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Rate this educational comic on a scale of 1 (very good) to 5 (not good at all)
Teachers (14)
Parents (22)
Others (6)
Result
1 (very good) 2 3 4 5 (not good at all)
Presentation
and images
Berlin as the
place of action
Explanation of
multiplication in
daily life situations
Explanation of the
thinking process,
rather than just
memorization
Entertaining and
easy to understand
Can be worked out
independently
Total Characters

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Result
I think that these wonderful illustrations are a huge success. With
this comic, you can have fun learning multiplication at home or in
class. It’s an amazing idea I hadn’t seen before. ★★★★★
Birgit, Elementary School Teacher, Arkonaplatz Elementary School
- The engaging and age-appropriate design really motivates kids.
- With illustrated themes like buying and eating ice cream, kids can
imagine themselves in the situations.
- The themes covered are well-structured and clear for kids.
- Technical terms, explanations, and multiplication tables are
skillfully incorporated.
- This can be used for a variety of purposes, such as in class or
recess from 2nd grade up.
- Makes self-study possible.
★★★★★ Marita Borchard, Elementary School Teacher,
Arkonaplatz Elementary School
I think conveying knowledge via comics is a wonderful project. If
stuff like this, covering a few themes, had been around when I
was in school, learning would have instantly become twice as fun.
I think there are lots of kids at our library who will want to borrow
this kind of learning material, just like I would have. ★★★★★
Lisa Sieg, Librarian, Bodo-Uhse Library
I think it’s a great idea to write stories that aren’t about superheroes,
but rather about multiplication and things like that. ★★★★★
Oda von Herder, 3rd Grader, Koppenplatz Elementary School
I think it’s a great comic. I can imagine using these educational
comics in class, and it matches perfectly with what we’re covering
in class now. ★★★★★ Kolja
The comic sparked an interest in math. They realized that math and
multiplication can be fun. The stories also make it really fun.
★★★★★ Carsten Marggraf, Psychologist, Father of Two
My child found the learning comic very funny, read it quickly, and
didn't think of it as learning, but just as a comic!
★★★★★ Parent of a 3rd grader

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Result

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Consideration
1. There is undoubtedly a demand for educational comics in Germany
2. German educators were also supportive of educational comics
3. Our comics had a learning effect in Germany as a learning material
4. Our characters and stories were also accepted by the German market
5. Even educational comics for children can be useful learning materials
for adults, especially for migrants

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Conclusion
Needs for Educational Comics
・Even in Germany, where educational comics are not standard,
there is a certainly demand for educational comics😊
・German educators are highly supportive of educational
comics and see its potential for the educational field😍

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Conclusion
International Comics Production
・It is possible to create high-quality educational comics
on our own with a proper workflow
・Supervision by local educators is essential
in the production of educational comics
・The quality and the style of our educational comics would
certainly be acceptable to the German market👍

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Conclusion
Issues
・Each states and countries have different curriculums,
teaching methods and textbooks.
Educational research is difficult, complex and costly.😩
・Even in mathematics, teaching methods and notation
differ from country to country.
Need to understand and fix them when localizing comics.😩

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Outlook
We are looking for global business partners
in educational publishing and development!
info@aha-comics.com / aha-comics.com
∙ Supervisors of educational content
Spanish / English / French elementary school teachers
∙ Distribution and publishing partners
∙ New comics content development partners

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aha-comics.com
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