Pets

Imaging Projects for Visual Learners

A picture is worth a thousand words, but to a visual learner it is worth much more. Connecting the dots for a visual learner can be challenging, but with images it can be creative and fun.

Here are some ways that the use of photography can stimulate your visual learner or simply spark creativity in students.

Images encourage creative writing
At the beginning of the school year, I asked students to bring in a baby picture for our class bulletin board. Before placing the image on the board, I asked them to switch the images and write a creative story about what they thought was happening in the image.

For a history lesson, I copied several photos of soldiers or advertisements from World War II. Students were assigned to write a poem or other forms of expressive writing, or give an oral presentation, explaining the image.

Pictures create class memories
Since fifth grade is the end of the elementary years (at least in my school), I had the students buy a 12 x 12 scrapbook at the beginning of the year. On the last Friday of the month we would take the last thirty minutes or so to document activities or special events that occurred during the month. This not only served as a memento for the students, but also as a lesson on journaling.

Throughout the month, I held on to writing projects, math projects, etc. that were completed and highlighted from the daily lessons. Students would express their thoughts about a specific event on the page with pictures, special writing, brochures, flyers, etc. Some students got very involved in the activity using special scissors, paper, die-cuts, stickers, etc. Some kept the pages very simple.

It was wonderful to see each student express themselves in various ways. By the end of the year, the scrapbook served as a memory book as well as a writing folder.

Images strengthen the connection between home and school
Most parents love to see what their child is doing in class. Some parents would sit in the classroom all day if we let them! However; For those who can’t volunteer or don’t have time to just stop by and see what’s going on, the pictures allow them to connect with the school and the child.

A couple of years ago, I invested in a smartphone – the smartest thing I’ve ever done! In less than a minute, I can photograph special activities and send an email to all the parents with a little “diddy” of what we were doing at the time. To enlarge the picture, I can ask parents to comment or “critique” the activity. Reply emails will be posted on our class community board or given to students for their scrapbook. (Not all parents respond, but at least 90% have. For those students whose parents did not respond, I will write something to post on the board.)

Students love to see photos of themselves “caught at work” and comment on what they were doing when the photo was taken. Also, the photos I send serve as conversation starters at the dinner table when mom/dad asks “what did you do at school today?” Parents can show the picture and ask students to explain what was happening.

Activities outside of class encourage parental involvement and give parents the opportunity to work with their children. It’s also good for parents to share with family members who may not live near the child to feel more connected.

Pictures simplify challenging lessons
Science is a difficult subject for the visual learner as it often requires abstract thinking, for a visual learner it can stretch beyond the realm of imagination and create confusion. To put things in perspective or a more concrete thought, I can use photos from the classroom.

For example, he was teaching about light and spectrum. To help illustrate this concept, I’ve assigned a camera project. I asked students to take pictures of various objects that fit into specific categories related to our science chapter (eg, shading and reflection). Using what we discussed in class, students were asked to use cameras to find or create situations that fit the required category and take a picture. To continue, of course, the students had to take a photo during the day. Not only did they have to take a photo, but students had to be aware of position, angle, and much more (great extension of the science lesson).

When finished, each student was asked to develop their images, place them in a small photo album (dollar store variety) and using an index card, explain the scientific term/concept for the photo placed in the slot behind. from image. Students now had a fun, creative, and applicable use of science concepts that they could refer to for tests and other lessons. This can also be done by studying the weather, animal habitats, rocks and minerals, and much more.

Images Help in troubleshooting
In a previous blog, I expressed my love for math and math projects. Using photos with various math activities and having students write the steps, sequencing, and assembling the puzzle pieces helps them learn the process of difficult math equations.

For example, we were learning how to calculate tax on purchases. Since it was near Christmas time, I asked the students to bring several flyers. I asked each student to create a Christmas list and with a given budget, the students needed to start their “shopping”. After shopping for each person, we listed the steps for calculating tax together on the board (I took a picture of our steps). The students then had to fill out a budget chart showing the price before and after taxes.

This project took a few days to complete. I took photographs of the students at each stage of the project. (ie, making a list, selecting items, using a calculator or solving a problem by hand, filling out the budget box, adding taxes and final calculations). I then developed the images (or you can print them if you have photo paper and a color printer), numbered the images, and posted them on the bulletin board.

The students were then assigned a number photo and asked to explain the methods for that particular step. This helped them understand the concept and procedures involved in calculating taxes, multiplying percentages, and could also have served as a sequencing lesson. What did we do first, then… etc.?

Images Customize School Work Instruction
Students love activities and projects that are personal to their lives or provide an opportunity to share more about themselves. My class and I read The World According to Humphrey together, a charming story about a hamster who joins a fifth-grade classroom. At the end of the story, I gave each student a small booklet I created and a tag board hamster to color and name.

The students were then assigned a journal of seven days in the life of their hamster. They were encouraged to take photos of her hamster in various settings and activities. They loved this! I received such wonderful adventures involving my students and their picture hamsters! By doing this personal task, the students were more involved than they would have been writing a standard book report.

Another example is a family project in which students were asked to take photos of their family members. Since we were discussing adjectives, the students had to take the photos, post one on each page, and make a list of adjectives that described the person, the clothes they were wearing, the background, etc. Since we placed these pages in a student-created booklet, they could be used for other activities such as descriptive writing, listing adverbs, nouns, etc.

Other Great Uses of Images in the Classroom
Other uses of images in the classroom include taking pictures of body parts and allowing students to do puzzles, sequencing activities, creating business data cards, images representing parts of speech, and of course writing directions.

How to start using images in lessons and activities
Some of the things I’ve done in the past that have given me the opportunity to use images in so many activities throughout the year, as well as having images for students to add to their yearly scrapbook have been:

* charging an “image fee” at the beginning of the year,
* contact developing places like Walmart, CVS and other camera stores to see about grants or special discounts,
* working with a photography club that would sponsor my class (special thanks to Manteca Camera Club for working with us the last two years),
* get volunteers to buy disposable cameras,
* develop photos that I have taken and placed on a CD,
* check sticker sales and craft stores for inexpensive stickers, die cuts, photo dividers, stencils, specialty bookmarks, page covers, or specialty paper,
* and of course only asking for donations.

Different ways to set up photo activities
Of course, I didn’t do these special activities with every lesson, just the ones that I felt would really bring out the creativity in my class or benefit the visual learners in my class. I would set aside the last Friday of the month, ½ day, or early releases, as time to work on the scrapbooks.

For other activities, it would take place while we were studying specific things, like the light/spectrum science chapter, or students would complete it outside of the classroom.

special tips
With any additional project or activity, teacher direction is needed. If students are using a camera in the classroom, the students must be taught the proper rules of handling and safety. Be sure to take the time to go over the basics of photography and explain how to frame or set up an image.

Students can only take appropriate pictures and never without first asking the person for permission (this is the main rule in my class). Make sure you have each parent’s permission before beginning any kind of cam project. Be aware of your school’s policies and check with the principal and parents before posting a photo of a student (even in the hallway).

Photographs are a wonderful extension of the classroom. With technology at our fingertips, the use of digital cameras, web pages, photoshop and other applications serve as excellent tools to explore and understand other topics, expand creativity and allow students who are not so expressive in writing a different method of completing the same task.