Creator: Julian Germain | visit site
Grade Range: 6 - 11
View portraits of classrooms in many cultures 2004-2012, taken by photographer Julian Germain. The collection is actually from a book. As <i>Archive Magazine </i>reviewer Tom Shakespeare explains, "By presenting different pupils, different schools, different year groups, Germain asks questions about contemporary educational practices and social divisions." The photos are clearly deliberate portraits, not candids, but offer a glimpse into other cultures and a chance to ask questions about why a class ( and classroom) might look the way it does, inviting discussion about what we have in common and how each culture conducts and values education.
In the Classroom
Share these photos as a writing prompt about cultural differences in a world cultures class or as a way to get students thinking before writing an essay about their "dream" school. Use the common experience of school as an entry point into conversation about cross-cultural understanding. Share on a projector or whiteboard as students use powers of observation to notice what might be different about life in another culture and how school reflects a culture’s value systems. Have them write a blog post about what they see.If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Webnode, <a href="/single.cfm?id=15467">reviewed here</a>. Use this site in art class or even as a media literacy exercise. Have students jot down the words they would use to describe the emotions they see/feel in these images. What message is the photographer conveying about school? Extend the discussion by challenging students to take their own photos to portray "school." Share the photos on a class wiki, blog, or online scrapbook using a tool such as MyScrapNook, <a href="/single.cfm?id=16082">reviewed here</a>.
At Home
If your teen enjoys photography, share this collection of photos as an inspiration for him/her to create a photoessay on school-- or another familiar experience. Share the photos with family members or college admissions officers using an <a href="http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/edge.cfm?c=18">online presentation tool </a> reviewed at the TeachersFirst Edge.
Tags
images, media literacy, cross cultural understanding,
Subjects
Art, Gifted, History & Culture: World, Social Studies, Social Studies,