Our exploration of line continues to make me aware of how much my practice has changed.
In the past I would have taught photo composition, the rule of thirds and asked students to use the rules to compose a photo. This time, I merely asked students to photograph the types of lines we had learned about in and around the school and gave them the challenge of capturing vertical lines in a way to create a sense of power and height. They organized into small groups and set off. It was fascinating to watch them in action, to hear their discussions about composition and to see the experimentation as they discovered line in the physical world and tried to capture what they saw. Students were focused and fully engaged during the process.
Today, I asked students to sit with their groups, select their 3 best photos and then - joy of joy - was able to use Apple TV to project the photos onto our Smartboard. Having the right tools at hand makes all the difference to this kind of learning. (and once again I am so grateful to the Ken Spencer Award from the Canadian Educational Association and the technology from the Mind Share Learning award that gave us the tools to work in this way). Students were pleased and impressed by what their peers had accomplished. There were many exceptional compositions and ones that caused us to frequently ask, "How did you do that?" Students became teachers as they explained their shots which led them to ask if they could have time to try out what they had learned from their peers. So off they went - students in charge of their own learning.
In the past I would have taught photo composition, the rule of thirds and asked students to use the rules to compose a photo. This time, I merely asked students to photograph the types of lines we had learned about in and around the school and gave them the challenge of capturing vertical lines in a way to create a sense of power and height. They organized into small groups and set off. It was fascinating to watch them in action, to hear their discussions about composition and to see the experimentation as they discovered line in the physical world and tried to capture what they saw. Students were focused and fully engaged during the process.
Today, I asked students to sit with their groups, select their 3 best photos and then - joy of joy - was able to use Apple TV to project the photos onto our Smartboard. Having the right tools at hand makes all the difference to this kind of learning. (and once again I am so grateful to the Ken Spencer Award from the Canadian Educational Association and the technology from the Mind Share Learning award that gave us the tools to work in this way). Students were pleased and impressed by what their peers had accomplished. There were many exceptional compositions and ones that caused us to frequently ask, "How did you do that?" Students became teachers as they explained their shots which led them to ask if they could have time to try out what they had learned from their peers. So off they went - students in charge of their own learning.
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