This guest post is written by Ruth Nneoma Oliwe, a Graduate Research Associate and PhD Student in Mathematics Education in the College of Education & Human Ecology, Department of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. Oliwe completed a research apprenticeship at the Billy Ireland in Spring of 2024 with curator Caitlin McGurk.
Ruth Nneoma Oliwe in the Lucy Shelton Caswell Reading Room
My 2024 apprenticeship at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum was an invaluable addition to my exploratory journey in comics. The experience deepened my understanding of comics and provided me with practical opportunities to integrate this knowledge into my academic research and goals as a doctoral student in mathematics education at The Ohio State University. In the early months of my graduate studies, I always walked past the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, constantly promising myself I would visit the museum one day because of my interest in comics storytelling. I was only able to visit a year later in the fall of 2023. Initially, I had intended to pay a quick visit but ended up spending hours, lost in the intriguing and inviting world of comics. I left that day knowing I would be back. The experience from that visit inspired me to pursue a research apprenticeship at the museum, upon the approval of my advisor, Dr. Theodore Chao.
Right now, you may be wondering why I find comics intriguing and what connections comics and mathematics have.
As a young girl, I became invested in the world of comics, thanks to my father who never missed getting my brothers and me a copy of the latest issue of the “Supa Strikas” whenever he visited the gas station. Many years down the line, my love for mathematics and the passion to see students enjoy and meaningfully engage indigenously developed mathematical skills in solving real-life problems inspired me to begin creating comics stories as a medium to intertwine mathematical concepts with the indigenous lived experiences and narratives of students. Doing this was to help students bridge the gap between their in-school and out-of-school experience of mathematics. As a doctoral student, this has become an integral part of my research interests.
Oliwe teaching young students in Nigeria about math through comics in summer of 2024
Upon the approval of my advisor to pursue my research apprenticeship at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, I met and shared my interest with the curator, Caitlin McGurk, who was intrigued by my research interest in forging meaningful connections between comics storytelling and mathematics education. I shared my passion about the storytelling potential of comics in mathematics education to provide students, particularly students of color, with opportunities to incorporate and share their unique and rich experiences and narratives in the learning process. Another goal is to develop their problem-posing and solving skills (their mathematical agency) as they engage in rich critical mathematical dialogues stemming from their stories and those of others. Over time, these situate students to cultivate and develop positive mathematics identities. With the suitability of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum for the experience I hoped to get and the wide array of resources in the library, I began my research apprenticeship in the spring of 2024.
From day one, the staff members at the cartoon museum and library were incredibly welcoming and supportive, particularly Susan Liberator who took time to listen and assist in any way she could. It was demanding for them to step out of their comfort and areas of expertise to ensure I benefitted the most from the process. Their passion to support my research was evident in their eagerness to share their expertise in comics and also guide me in maximizing the resources available at the museum. These resources included recommendations from Caitlin and staff members as well as others I found at the library in the museum. With these resources, I dug deep into getting to know the field of comics and its history, exploring the works of Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, and other notable comics makers. I also delved into making comics and exploring how scholars and educators are engaging teaching with the medium in various subjects. Furthermore, I found it heart-warming to not only read and reflect on the comics focused on Black women and girls’ experiences in the United States, but also graphic novels centered on West Africa. For example, “Aya of Yop City” by Marguerite Abouet & Clément Oubrerie centered on the everyday lives of a group of teenagers from Ivory Coast.
My research work has significantly grown from the insights and experiences gained from my apprenticeship at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. My comics creations have become richer, and I feel better equipped to guide students in creating their own stories through comics. This process is more powerful when complemented with story circles and community screenings. During the story circles, students get to participate in rich conversations around critical topics like counter-storytelling which are not usually elicited from them or discussed in mathematics classrooms. In addition, having students share, listen, give feedback to one another’s stories and mathematical thinking is amazing to watch and powerful in building their agency and positionalities as mathematics learners. Furthermore, the community screening provides opportunities for students to invite their classmates, parents, and other significant persons in their lives to participate and share in enacting their comics stories in mathematics, while providing helpful feedback. The screening offers meaningful opportunities for families to deeply connect with their children’s comics stories and mathematical thinking at social and affective levels, priming them to support their learning in helpful ways.
Oliwe’s research station in the Billy Ireland’s reading room
Moving forward, I am excited to continue exploring the intersection of comics storytelling and mathematics, The fruitful research apprenticeship at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum and the research projects I worked on during this time, convinces me that comics storytelling not only makes learning mathematics more engaging and accessible but also serves as a viable strategy for developing robust mathematical agency and positive mathematics identities. To conclude, this research apprenticeship accentuates the richness of interdisciplinary research and the incredible impact that a supportive, engaged community can have on one’s work. I am grateful for the opportunity to merge my passions for comics and mathematics education in such a dynamic environment. For anyone passionate about art and mathematics education, I encourage you to explore how these fields intersect and enrich each other in creative and impactful ways. You might discover, as I did, that the combination of comics storytelling and mathematics can lead to exciting and positively unique educational experiences.
And of course, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum is a great place to start from if you are interested in comics like I do!
Ruth Nneoma Oliwe
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