Chapter 14 discussion with Katlynn and Molly

Hi everybody,

Today we are going to discuss and respond to chapter 14.

To start off, we want to discuss what is documentary photography and what does it have to do with reflection?

·      Documentary photography can follow a single topic or in-depth story that occurs over time. It helps to deepen our understanding and emotional connection to the stories that are presented to us.

·      Images have power; they have the ability to catch time as stated in chapter 14. The ability to freeze time through photography can capture unseen or ignored realities in our everyday life. 

·      “Photography enables young people to bring their personal histories and real world experience into the classroom and community.” (p. 105)

·      “When photography is employed as a form of social reflection it has the potential to enhance intergenerational and intercultural understanding, to reduce stereotypical attitudes and to celebrate the dreams and ingenuity of youth and others groups whose stories are often lost in the din of our popular media.”

(p. 112)

Resources:

More information how photography can have a social impact:

https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/documentary-photography-open-society

If you would like to learn more about the history of documentary photography and making sense of it you can go here: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/photos/photos.pdf

Wendy Ewald The Best Part of Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Sk1EAD8JY

Zana Briski Brothel Project: http://www.zanabriski.com/brothel/

Jim Hubbard Homeless Children: http://shootingback.net/images/homeless-children

 

Answer the following questions on your blog:

1.     In order to create empathy in the classroom, students must realize that their stories and the stories of their peers have worth and should be shared and listened to. How could you use photography as a tool in your classroom to help students share and reflect on their stories and the stories of their peers?  

2.     Reflection is a powerful tool that you can use in your classroom. Choose one of the following projects by Wendy Ewald. Analyze the work, pick one of the elementary national art standards that connect to her use of reflection and discuss the connections.

·      Literacy Through Photography https://literacythroughphotography.wordpress.com/wendy-ewald/

·      The Carver Project http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v3n2/gallery/ewald_w/tonette-12/tonette_2.htm

·      The Best Part of Me (Book Reading) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Sk1EAD8JY

3.     Listen to this 8 minutes NPR piece about photographer Zana Briski who put cameras in the hands of the children of prostitutes in Calcutta and her experience living in the brothels with these women and children. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4205049)

(If you would like to watch the full documentary is available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kyX Fr2g1x8 not required)

Looking at the work Wendy Ewald (links in question 2), Jim Hubbard (http://shootingback.net/images/homeless-children), and Zana Briski (links above), how can photography be used to bring the personal histories and real life experiences of your students into the classroom? Write at least of paragraph description of how this could work in an elementary classroom, logistics aside (money for cameras, making sure they are returned etc.).

  

Your activity consists of listening to the NPR piece about Zana Briski.

Thanks, Molly and Katlynn