Children see things in a totally different way...

What can we learn from immigrant children who use disposable cameras to document their world?

It turns out: a lot.

Children have a lot to communicate about their world, and their observations can be startlingly accurate, even when complicated concepts are presented to them.

So, it would stand to reason that photography might also give them an entirely new way to communicate their thoughts, ideas, and feelings.

These insights are not only valuable within the context of intercultural interactions with children, but also within the context of a classroom.

Researchers Jane Keat, Barbara Marinak, and Martha Strickland conducted a research study called Child Voice: How Immigrant Children Enlightened their Teachers with a Camera, in which teachers provided their immigrant students an opportunity to take pictures, and then discussed the photographs with the students. These findings revealed not only insight into the world of immigrant children, but a practical, effective way for teachers to interact and communicate with students from other cultural backgrounds.

According to the authors, the children communicated three main messages with their photographs. The “Here are the persons, places and things that are important to me” (Keat, Marinak & Strickland, 2009) message helped children to articulate their perspectives in a way that their teachers could understand. During the individual discussion with the student, teachers were able to use verbal, and non-verbal cues, such as words, gestures, and facial expression, to further identify the importance of the photograph to the student. (Keat et al., 2009).

The next message that the students conveyed was, “I know my life in a way that you do not” (Keat et al., 2009), which is important because it gave children the authority and expertise about their pictures. The researchers also noted that the children were inclined to correct when the teacher perceived a picture differently than the student intended (Keat et al., 2009). Through this experience, children were able to engage with teachers in socialization, and also provided teachers an opportunity to evaluate their assumptions and values in relation to their students’ cultural situations (Keat et al., 2009).

Finally, the “Listen to me and I will talk to you” (Keat et al., 2009) message is an important observation in the student’s comprehension and comfort with the English language, and provides the teacher with clarity on language development and progression with each discussion about the photographs (Keat et al., 2009).

John Oetzel (2009) would probably say that this strategy reflects his concept of immediacy, which is “the extent to which communication behaviours bring closeness and reduce physical and/or psychological distance between a teacher and a student” (p. 185). I would have to agree. I also think it is a very effective and sensitive way to engage with students to motivate and encourage their development.

References

Keat, J.B., Marinak, B.A., & Strickland, M.J. (2009 August). Child voice: How immigrant children enlightened their teachers with a camera. Early Childhood Education Journal. 37(1), pp. 13-21.

Oetzel, J. (2009). Intercultural communication: a layered approach. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

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