Learning classical epics through comics. A Visual Education experience in secondary school

Abstract

Contemporary schools are undergoing a process of profound change, called upon to rethink the languages, methodologies and aims of learning in a cultural context dominated by the pervasiveness of visual and digital media. In this scenario, education can no longer be understood as the mere transmission of content, but as an experience of connection and construction of meaning within complex cognitive ecosystems, in which words and images contribute to the formation of knowledge. Visual Education thus takes the form of a pedagogical and cognitive perspective capable of integrating perceptual, emotional and symbolic dimensions and enhancing the multimodal nature of learning processes. The teaching experience presented here, carried out in a first-year high school class, involved reading and analysing comics inspired by Homer's poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, in order to investigate the cognitive and educational potential of visual language in the teaching of classical literature. The methodology, based on guided reading, dialogue-based discussion and metacognitive reflection, highlighted an increase in student motivation and engagement, promoting a more empathetic and participatory approach to narrative content. Comics proved to be a cognitive and relational tool capable of transforming ancient texts into shared experiences, demonstrating how visual languages can redefine the educational relationship within a concept of extended and co-evolutionary cognition.