𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐍

𝐵𝑦: 𝐽𝑜ℎ𝑛 𝑅𝑒𝑏𝑎𝑡𝑜 𝑁𝑒𝑟𝑖, 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐼𝐼𝐼 𝐵𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑛 𝐶𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝐸𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐶𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗹𝘀. 𝗔𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵, 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. Admittedly, the attitudes and interests of the pupils nowadays have evolved. Most students now are more engaged in technology at a very young age. Even a three-year-old child can operate a cell phone. These children are "wired" by using "digitized communication." In 21st-century teaching, teachers are constantly challenged by the learners' engagement in technology, especially in finding ways to enhance pedagogy to make learning fun, relevant, and motivating for learners. Unfortunately, some students lacked appreciation for the Araling Panlipunan (AP) subject because of its highly objective content that demands heavy memorization. Naturally, this lack of interest often resulted in low or failing grades. Teaching is more than just memorizing facts. It is also about leading pupils to understand and apply the concepts into practice and appreciate them in real-life situations. Learning Araling Panlipunan doesn't necessarily require memorizing everything. It is more important that learners understand and apply the lessons from the past to the present. Therefore, effective teachers acknowledge that teaching strategies and using instructional materials constantly need improvement (Shulman, 2018). Teachers should analyze and evaluate their teaching practices and focus on what works and how to improve students' attitudes toward learning and academic performance. Teachers are encouraged to use supplementary materials to make teaching activities more effective and enjoyable for learners. The best supplementary materials in teaching must support students' cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development, one of which is using traditional comic strips. Marquez (2019) emphasized that comics provide images of stories that offer simplified words and sentences or thought patterns that are perfectly attuned to the tastes and styles of the pupils. Gardner (2012) stressed that comics, as a learning tool, can be used in different subject areas, especially in Araling Panlipunan. Hutchinson (1949) stated that comics positively impact students' motivation and participation in the subject. There is indisputable evidence that learners visualize what they are reading, and they show a natural interest when texts are juxtaposed with images, making the learning atmosphere more enjoyable and exciting. Comic strips are not just about superheroes and villains, nor are they limited to one gender or age bracket. In fact, these materials rank as one of the best tools for teaching history, events, and narration as it increases pupils' ability to infer from the images. Therefore, using comic strips can make teaching Araling Panlipunan more interactive, motivating, and meaningful for learners. END