Using personal narrative as a strategy to bring contemporary meaning to photography

Abstract

This project explores the use of narrative strategies to assist high school students in creating photography that expresses their personal story and an understanding of universal themes. Review of the current literature indicates that story telling is a viable approach that allows students to explore imagery and connect it to text in a meaningful way. Imagery that emerges from personal stories is an effective way of relating ideas to peers, community, and society. My personal story and experience in photography became the foundation for classroom lessons which move from simple to more complex ideas including metaphor. Photography lessons included problem solving, reflective thinking, and recording ideas in sketchbooks. The use of narrative strategies created ideal learning situations for promoting student independence and a deeper understanding of their work. Further research is required to determine the benefits of using narrative strategies and should involve surveying students for reciprocal transfer of learning.