Using Photographs in Development Education

Transcription

1 Using Photographs in Development Education

2 Table of Contents Using Photographs... 1 Why Use Photographs?... 2 Photographs and Development Education... 3 Gathering Photographs... 4 Preparing to Use Photographs... 5 Using Photographs in the Classroom... 6 Links and Resources The Ubuntu Network is funded by Irish Aid, Development Education and Civil Society Section. The ideas, opinions and comments therein are entirely the responsibility of its author and do not necessarily represent or reflect Irish Aid policy. The content and photographs in this resource were compiled by Dr. Gerry Jeffers. Design work by Marie Flannery, Ubuntu Network.

3 Using Photographs At first glance, it looked like a straightforward class. The teacher wrote the word sustainability on the board and asked did anyone know what the word meant. She jotted down some of the key words that emerged from the students responses. Then she produced a large pack of photographs, mounted on coloured card and laminated. She randomly assigned 10 photos to each pair of students. I want you to agree between yourselves on two photographs that illustrate the idea of sustainability. Lively discussions ensued. Indeed, the teacher was eying the clock because she wanted the students to listen to the choices made by their classmates. Some days later, one of the students brought in two photographs from magazines. One was of a dried up river bed with emaciated cattle nearly, the other of a river bursting its banks and flooding people s houses. I think they show how we need to manage resources in the world, remarked the student. Encouraged by this the teacher then suggested that students build a photo exhibition on the topic of sustainability. They responded enthusiastically. Along the way, the teacher estimated that there were hundreds of informal discussions between herself and individual students and among the students themselves on global justice issues. The following term, the teacher asked the students to nominate a development education topic. They suggested education. Photographs of classrooms around the word became a central feature of the work and many wish themes associated with development and education were explored. Some of the photos in the subsequent exhibition in the school were taken by the students themselves. 1

4 Why Use Photographs? Photographs can be lively, engaging and effective tools for learning in the classroom. We live in a very visual world where images are used in numerous situations to carry messages and communicate ideas. Photographs can be used very effectively in developing constructivist classrooms. Some students are much more comfortable with visual images than with verbal ones; a combination of visual and verbal can enhance student interest and involvement. This is especially true for students who may be uncomfortable with written tasks. The widespread availability of camera mobile phones and cameras offers great new learning possibilities. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp and other applications ensure rapid dissemination of images. Indeed, the ubiquitousness of images in modern culture suggests that the need for pausing, viewing, decoding, analysing, interpreting, and reflecting on images is an urgent educational task. Opening up discussions with students with questions like What s the point of taking a photograph?. Responses are likely to take the students and teachers down avenues of enquiry of concepts such as memory, nostalgia, feelings as well as family and significant life events. Encouraging students to build their own image banks usually facilitates further exploration of the many facets to a photograph. The teacher interested in exploring ideas associated with photographs will find hundreds of books and dozens of websites on the topic. The following few extracts from Susan Sontag s classic On Photography should stimulate further reflection: Photographs furnish evidence. Something we hear about, but doubt, seems proven when we re shown a photograph of it. Through photographs, each family constructs a portrait chronicle of itself a portable kit of images that bears witness to its connectedness. It hardly matters what activities are photographed so long as photographs get taken and are cherished. A photograph is not just the result of an encounter between an event and a photographer; picture taking is an event in itself, and one with even more perempory rights to interfere with, to invade, or to ignore whatever is going on. Photographs may be more memorable than moving images, because they are a neat slice of time, not a flow. Photography implies that we know about the world if we accept it as the camera records it. But this is the opposite of understanding, which starts from not accepting the world as it looks. All possibility of understanding is rooted in the ability to say no. 2

5 Photographs and Development Education Photographs are central to our everyday understanding of civic, social and political life. Photographs can be very effective gateways to exploring aspects of Development Education, particularly in exploring students deeper understanding of other cultures as well concepts such as justice/ injustice, equality/ inequality, sustainability, and development/ underdevelopment. Getting students to observe and describe what they see in photographs introduces and opens up a variety of topics and issues. It also enables students to pursue their own interests and concerns, often identifying issues and themes that teachers do not see. Photographs not only brighten up classroom walls, but can also be vehicles for effective learning and remind students of previous classes and important issues. Visual images including large development related posters can be very useful hooks on which students and teacher can hang many ideas. Development Education posters on school corridors can heighten the profile of global justice issues for everyone in the school. Because of the weight of negative imagery associated with people in poorer countries, the Development Education teacher needs to be especially sensitive to striking a balance between negative and positive images. Indeed, challenging the equating of developing countries with negativity is a key task for the Development Education teacher. Exploring the code developed by the umbrella organisation Dóchas can be a useful activity. This code is based on: Respect for the dignity of the people concerned Belief in the equality of all people Acceptance of the need to promote fairness, solidarity and justice See 3

6 Gathering Photographs Ideally each teacher of Development Education should aim to build her/his own personal file or bank of relevant photos: Mounting newspaper and magazine photographs on to A4 sized pages and inserting them into transparent protective envelopes is one useful way of building up a resource which can be stored in a binder. Sticking photographs to card and laminating them is also very useful. With access to projectors, electronic images can be collected, stored and used in arrange of ways within the classroom. Encourage students to develop their own collections of development related photographs in a folder or scrapbook or on a memory stick. Both teacher and students can add to their collections by taking their own photographs, whether with digital, disposable or other cameras. Getting students to construct their own posters can be a particularly useful way for them to explore complex concepts such as development, sustainability and justice. These can then be photographed and become part of the teacher s repertoire. Students who claim to have limited artistic ability can be encouraged to construct collages using photographs cut out from magazines, headlines from newspapers etc. The teacher may need to emphasise the development dimension of any poster making activity, rather than letting artistic merit be a primary focus. Many agencies with development related agendas make posters available free of charge and can be useful reference points for classroom discussion. 4

7 Preparing to Use Photographs Prior to using photographs in the classroom, the teacher needs to acquaint him/herself with some basic facts about photographs. These include: 1. A photographic image is a representation of one moment in time. 2. Photographic images are open to a variety of interpretations. 3. Every photograph reflects decisions made by the photographer. 4. These decisions refer to both composition (arrangement of the visual elements) and the content (meaning). 5. In constructing the image on a page, an original photograph may have been enhanced by computer technology. Some useful basic photographic vocabulary includes: Content The subject, topic or information captured in the image Angle The vantage point or point of view from which the photograph was taken Contrast Visual differences between light and dark, but also textures, sizes and objects Setting The actual physical surrounding or scenery, whether artificial or real Representational An image which shows recognisable objects Framing What is within the boundaries of the photograph An image that emphasises formal elements such as Abstract shapes and lines rather than specific recognisable objects Expressive Concerned with communicating emotion An image that portrays the natural environment; an Landscape image that is of greater horizontal length than vertical (opposite of portrait) Theme A dominant or unifying idea in one photograph or in a collection of photographs 5

8 Using Photographs in the Classroom In getting students to describe photographs, the frame below can be helpful. Any photograph can be divided into NINE sections and the students can develop the practice of describing a particular part of the photograph as: background left or middle right or foreground left and so on. Background Mid ground (or Middle) Foreground Left Centre Right Prompts for Using Photographs in the Classroom In exploring students understanding, the teacher could use the following types of prompts: Describe what you see? What is the main subject matter? Where was the photograph taken? What evidence is there for this? Who are the people in the photograph? What evidence is there about the people s lives? In a newspaper, what caption might be attached to this photograph To what civic, social or political theme/issue does this photograph relate? How would you classify this photograph? What might have been happening before this photograph was taken? What might have happened immediately after the photograph was taken? 6

9 What was the point of view of the photographer? Why might the photographer have taken this particular image? Were the people in the photograph aware of the photographer and if so does this make a difference? What is your response to this photograph? Do you like or dislike the photograph? Why? What other images does this photograph remind you of? What is the overall meaning of the photograph? What kind of civic, social or political statement is this photograph making? Who benefits or suffers from this photograph being published in a newspaper? Activities for Using Photographs in the Classroom Use only FIVE Words to describe the photo: A balance needs to be struck between, on the one hand, over emphasising the complexity and nuanced nature of photographic imagery and, on the other, keeping the learning simple enough so that students don t switch off. One way of doing this is to invite them to respond to a particular picture with ONLY 5 WORDS. Ask ONE question of the people in the photo: A variation of the above approach is to ask students to look at a particular photograph and decide on what is the ONE question they would like to ask of the people in the picture. This can spark engaging discussions. Tell a story based on the photo: A powerful use of an individual photograph is to ask students to tell a story based on the photo. This can be scaffolded by such prompts as Who are these people? What are they doing? What are they thinking? What happened before the picture was taken? What happened next? This can be done on an individual basis, in pairs, in small groups or as a whole class activity. The latter can be done quite effectively with each person being permitted to submit one line into the story at a time. 7

10 Fill in the thought bubble: Superimposing a blank thought bubble over an individual person in a photograph can be a useful prompt, inviting students to write what they think the person might be thinking. A variation on this is to imagine, in the tradition of comic books, a conversation taking place between two people in the photo. Find a photo to illustrate an issue: Following a classroom discussion or exploration of a topic, getting students to decide on (and find) a photographic image that illustrates the issue can be effective, particularly when they have to voice their reasoning for selection. This can further their understanding and can be very affirming. 8

11 Activities Using a Selection of Photographs Buy one photo from the gallery: Various activities can be constructed where students have to make choices from a selection of photographs. One way is to place, say 30, photographs on the classroom wall, a bit like in an art gallery, supply each student with a (red) sticker and, heightening the art gallery/auction imagery, ask them to select the image which they think best sums up a particular, named issue e.g. development, justice, community, rights, human dignity, power, oppression, responsibility etc. Select photos in pairs/groups to illustrate an issue: Initially working in pairs, students can be given a selection of photographs, say 6, and asked to select one or two that best illustrate, in their opinion, a particular concept or issue. The pairs can then be put together for a further discussion and debate as to which single image is most relevant. There can be much clarification of understandings when students engage in such discussions. Following this by asking for a brief oral explanation of their choices can be effective. Other variations on this can use RANKING e.g. 1 6 as the focus of the activity. Again, the important learning feature is that people think about their choices and put forward plausible explanations for them. Share responses to photos on post it notes: A further variation is to supply students with post it notes and invite them to write their responses to a selection of photos that might be displayed in a public place in the classroom. Responses might be I like this picture because. or I think this picture shows the idea of (development, community, cooperation, equality, service, etc.) because Collectively build a set of photos to illustrate an issue: Another approach to photos is to identify some key idea (e.g. prejudice, responsibility, law, human dignity, racism, equality) and invite students to go and take photographs that illustrate their understanding of the idea. 9

12 Maintain a Development notice board: A continually changing Development in the News notice board in the classroom can be a good way to keep current issues and personalities to the forefront, not least when the students have the responsibility to bring in the relevant photographs. Taking a Questioning Stance with Photographs With all students, it is worth inserting a questioning stance regarding the problematic nature of visual images. One way is to pose questions or statements for debate and discussion e.g. A picture is worth a thousand words, or is it? All pictures lie! The camera never lies but it can be an accessory to untruth. Here the teacher needs to be aware that those who discuss photographs tend to range on a spectrum from a matter of fact, unproblematic matter of fact communication perspective to polysemic, ambiguous social and cultural artefact. 10

13 Links and Resources There are various websites to support using photographs in educational contexts e.g. Green, D. (2006) Using Digital Images in Teaching and Learning Pics4Learning: Free Images For Educational Purposes JISC Advice on Still images: Finding and using digital media Kerry One World Centre Visions of Africa Dóchas Code of Conduct on Images and Messages iles/image report.pdf 4learning free images foreducational purposes/ limages/docs/category/finding andusing digital media of Africa/ 11