Visual spaces for personalised and connected learning

Wednesday 3 July: Conference day one, 12:00pm – 12:30pm parallel session

Venue

Room 1 – 302-G20, Case Room

Presenters

Dr Narelle Patton
Charles Sturt University, Australia
npatton@csu.edu.au

Dr Cate Thomas
Charles Sturt University, Australia

Overview

The use of images in teaching represents an exciting and evolving field which provides educational opportunities to creatively imagine new and powerful pedagogies that enhance student learning. Despite the inherent power of visual strategies to engage students in meaningful and effective learning, their implementation in education remains at the fringe of mainstream education practices.

This presentation reports the findings of a qualitative research project that explored how photo-elicitation employed as a teaching strategy shaped students’ learning. This research utilised two data collection strategies (1) an anonymous online survey and (2) semi-structured interviews. All texts generated were coded and interpreted within a hermeneutic tradition including multiple readings of the transcripts, identifying shared understanding and pre-judgements, interests and assumptions. The research participants were academics enrolled in a Graduate Certificate of Learning and Teaching.

Photo-elicitation was found to open up powerful, personal and enjoyable ways to engage students in meaningful learning. The photographs provided an opportunity for students to eloquently connect topic areas being studied to their lived experiences and interests. Photo-elicitation also provided immediate, tangible and intimate ways of understanding and enhancing student learning. The use of photo-elicitation teaching strategies created personalised and connected student learning.

Visual teaching and learning strategies represent an exciting and evolving field. They provide educators with opportunities to both creatively imagine and enact new and powerful pedagogies, and to develop graduates who will flourish in current and future societal contexts. This presentation concludes with a case example of how an academic, having experienced photo-elicitation as a teaching and learning strategy, has embedded visual strategies in her own teaching and learning. Many different uses of photographs to create powerful learning spaces as well as the continuous evolution of these visual teaching strategies to best meet students’ fluid educational requirements are also reported.

Presentation topic

Students – Learning