A Tool for
Creative Teaching

Click here to download PDF version of this article.

Bonnie Blagojevic and Anne Sprague

(cont.) - Page 2

Organize the program

Use photos to show children that they belong and to show them what to expect. Photos help them become comfortable and competent members of the classroom learning community.

Create daily schedules. Photograph children during routines and activities. Post the images in sequence on a piece of poster board. Label each part of the day—arrival, snack, group time, outdoor play, and so on.

Take a photo of each child. Use the photos on attendance and job charts, sign-up boards for learning centers, and graphing activities (I like apples vs. I like orange).

Make labels. Include photos and print to define activity areas and to show where things go on shelves. For example, add photos of children building together to the sign that reads Blocks in that activity area.

Support curriculum goals

When children see photos of themselves taking part in activities, they feel valued and proud of what they can do. Photos can help engage them in achieving new learning goals, such as expressing themselves, participating inconversations, making meaning from print, and recognizing and identifying letters in familiar names and other words.

Make sets of photos. Feature photos that match frequently used words, such as the names of children in the class or words related to a class project. Print out several photos to a page and several sets for use in a variety of activities like lotto games.

Take photos on field trips. Talk about the images with children to help them remember what they saw, heard, did, and learned. Use the photos in a display or a book about the trip.

Publish books. Write about people, objects, and events. Have children dictate the text and use photos to illustrate their stories.

Make visual aids for songs and finger plays. Print photos on specialty papers like magnetic paper (found in office supply stores).

Create class cookbooks. Take photos of children cooking and include these on recipe cards.

Illustrate the steps for doing a job. Use photos to show how to feed a class pet or complete a project.

 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

<< Back to Articles Online