using digital photography to enhance student creativity

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http://gct.sagepub.com/ Gifted Child Today http://gct.sagepub.com/content/35/4/285 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.1177/1076217512455481 2012 35: 285 Gifted Child Today Del Siegle Using Digital Photography to Enhance Student Creativity Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com can be found at: Gifted Child Today Additional services and information for http://gct.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Email Alerts: http://gct.sagepub.com/subscriptions Subscriptions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Permissions: What is This? - Sep 4, 2012 Version of Record >> at GEORGIAN COURT UNIV on November 29, 2014 gct.sagepub.com Downloaded from at GEORGIAN COURT UNIV on November 29, 2014 gct.sagepub.com Downloaded from

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Page 1: Using Digital Photography to Enhance Student Creativity

http://gct.sagepub.com/Gifted Child Today

http://gct.sagepub.com/content/35/4/285The online version of this article can be found at:

 DOI: 10.1177/1076217512455481

2012 35: 285Gifted Child TodayDel Siegle

Using Digital Photography to Enhance Student Creativity  

Published by:

http://www.sagepublications.com

can be found at:Gifted Child TodayAdditional services and information for    

  http://gct.sagepub.com/cgi/alertsEmail Alerts:

 

http://gct.sagepub.com/subscriptionsSubscriptions:  

http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.navReprints:  

http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.navPermissions:  

What is This? 

- Sep 4, 2012Version of Record >>

at GEORGIAN COURT UNIV on November 29, 2014gct.sagepub.comDownloaded from at GEORGIAN COURT UNIV on November 29, 2014gct.sagepub.comDownloaded from

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DOI: 10.1177/1076217512455481. From 1University of Connecticut, Storrs. Address correspondence to: Del Siegle, Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, University of Connecticut, 2131 Hillside Road, Unit 3007, Storrs, CT 06269-3007; email: [email protected] reprints and permissions queries, please visit SAGE’s Web site at http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermission.nav.

Copyright © 2012 The Author(s)

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to help students develop their digital photography skills and see the world through new eyes. An emphasis is placed on using digital photography to communicate ideas and feelings.

Keywords: creativity, photography, self-expression, digital

The ubiquitous availability of devices that record digital images affords educators an excellent opportunity to enhance their students’ creative thinking and self-

reflection. If students do not have access to traditional digital cameras, they probably do have access to a cell phone, iTouch, iPad, or other device that will enable them to record digital images. These devices can play an important role in developing students’ creativity and communication skills. In this column, I will describe a set of photography assignments that the gifted students with whom I have worked have found to be interesting and beneficial. These assignments have worked well with students in a fourth-grade gifted and talented program as well as with university honors students. The primary goal of these assignments is less about making students better photographers, although that is often a by-product, and more about helping them see the world with new eyes and better visually express what they are thinking and feeling.

Why People Take PicturesA great way to introduce students

to the topic of photography is to hold a discussion on why people take photographs. Student responses will vary from “remembering what they have seen,” to “showing others who their friends are,” to “showing others what they are thinking.”

All of the responses generally fall within the communication theme of self-expression. People take pictures to share their experiences and thoughts with others.

This is how I looked when I went to first grade.

These are the people I hung out with in college.

This is what our new baby looks like.

This is a unique way to look at a tree that others may not have thought.

This is what the Statue of Liberty looked like the day I visited it.

Near and FarOnce students begin to realize that photography is a medium

for expressing themselves, they can begin to think about the photographs they make, what they are trying to say with those photographs, and how they can express themselves more effectively. Although educators are continually concerned about improving students’ written and oral communication skills, traditionally they have neglected students’ visual communication skills. In the 21st century, visual communication is an essential skill for students to possess.

As a young photographer, I had an opportunity to study briefly with the printmaker, painter, and photographer Gerhard Bakker. Many of the ideas I use to help students begin thinking about their photographs came from him. I often start with an assignment to photograph

COLUMNS

“People take pictures to share their

experiences and thoughts with

others.”

Using Digital Photography to Enhance Student CreativityDel Siegle, PhD1

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“Near and Far.” The purpose of this assignment is to make three different photographs that each uniquely represents the concept of both near and far simultaneously. Initially, students seem confused by the request to photograph something that represents “near and far,” but they ultimately become intrigued once I share a few examples that previous students have submitted. One of the more interesting photographs I have received is a photograph of a pregnant woman. In explaining the photograph, the student commented that the fetus was very near to the mother, but also very far away. Another interesting idea was a photograph of a hand reaching through a prison bar. The student had staged the image and noted that it revealed that freedom for the prisoner was near, within his grasp, but far away. Of course, the ideas I share are “off-limits” for this assignment. After sharing one or two ideas, the students usually ask me to stop. They do not want to limit their options. The next step is to ask one or two students to name something they might be thinking about photographing. Once again, these ideas are off-limits to others. In some cases, I have asked the students to create a single image that best represents their thinking. At other times, I have asked them to create three different images that each represents the idea of near and far in unique ways. The latter often produces more interesting photographs. As is often the case with creative thinking, the first idea is not necessarily the most interesting.

A college freshman produced a unique image that was taken in the men’s restroom for his “Near and Far” assignment. The student presented a tastefully composed picture consisting of the back of one student using a urinal with the lower legs of a second student revealed behind a toilet stall with trousers around his ankles. The freshman noted that although his two subjects were very near to each other, the tasks in which they were engaged were very different or far from each other. Some additional examples of “Near and Far” are shown in Figures 1 and 2.

People Without PeopleAnother popular assignment involves creating photographs

that represent “People Without People.” One seventh-grade student brought a photograph of his grandfather. When I asked how it represented people without people, the student responded, “My grandfather has Alzheimer’s disease. Although he is there, he really isn’t there anymore.” This certainly was an insightful statement from a middle school student. Figure 3 illustrates how a common concept can be photographed in an interesting way for the “People Without People” assignment.

The “Near and Far” and “People Without People” assignments are successful because they ask students to illustrate contradictory concepts. In the past, I have asked students to make a photograph that represents cold. Although I have received some interesting images, I have been more successful when I have asked them to illustrate something that represents a “hot cold,” or “cold hot.” Both of these ideas are rooted in the synectics creativity strategy and are compressed (symbolic) analogies. A compressed (symbolic) analogy is one of the

higher level analogies used in synectics. “Near and Far” and “People without People” are examples of this.

Understanding Self and Others BetterGifted and talented students experience a variety of emotions

about being labeled “gifted,” and discussing these emotions can be beneficial. Photography can be a catalyst for these discussions; illustrating emotions with photographs can be an effective exercise. Each student anonymously writes on a

Figure 1. Near and Far: The person outside the door is near and can easily be seen, but the locked door keeps him far away.Source: Photograph by Eric Heffter.

Figure 2. Near and Far: All of the items are near each other in the basket, but the apple is far from the others because it is of different color and different type of fruit.Source: Photograph by Alexis Thompson.

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slip of paper an emotion that gifted students experience. The slips of paper are placed in a basket, and each student randomly selects one of the slips. The students do not reveal the emotion they drew. Each student creates a photograph that represents that emotion. The teacher prepares a list of the emotions, and students guess which emotion each photograph represents. This activity can lead to a fruitful discussion of the emotions that the students are facing. I often am surprised how frequently certain emotions surface. Through this exercise, students come to realize that others are experiencing many of the same emotions as they are experiencing. The students do not necessarily reveal which emotion they provided.

Prior to becoming an educator, I worked as a photographer. I once received an assignment to create a series of photographs to illustrate a special issue of a regional journal that was being devoted to the meaning of life. Needless to say, I was somewhat perplexed how I would illustrate the meaning of life. One day, I was visiting my best friend from high school, and I asked him what he thought was the meaning of life. Without pausing, he replied that it was his young daughter, whom he was bouncing on his bare feet. I took a photograph of their feet (see Figure 4), and it is one of the more successful photographs I have made. Ultimately, I illustrated the special issue with

photographs of hands and feet performing tasks that people said represented the meaning of life: a woman holding a rosary, wheat falling through a farmer’s hand, and an elderly couple holding hands.

Modifying this concept, I ask my university honors students to take a photograph that represents who they are as a person. The photograph can only show their hands or feet, but can include any props they wish to use (see Figures 5 and 6). This assignment is more successful when a group of students has become comfortable with sharing information about themselves, and it works better with older students.

Scavenger HuntStudents enjoy the excitement and challenge of scavenger

hunts, particularly when it involves a creative twist. One scavenger hunt option is to give students a list of items to photograph rather than to collect. It works well to have students complete this assignment in teams of two or three

Figure 3. People Without People: Students often produce pictures with shadows or reflections to represent people without people. Although their responses may not be unique, the execution of their ideas can sometimes be very interesting.Source: Photograph by Jenny Sayers.

Figure 4. The feet of a father and his daughter representing the meaning of life.

Figure 5. A university honors student shares her love of playing the piano to illustrate who she is.Source: Photograph by Katherine Welsh.

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with a single camera. As our goal is to increase students’ ability to think creatively and express themselves in unique ways, each team is asked to create a photograph that represents the item that no other team will select. For example, one of the items to photograph is “something that changes every day.” Many students elect to photograph a newspaper or the sky. An unusual response might be a photograph of a smiling person with the explanation that people’s emotions change every day. Gifted and talented students excel at providing explanations for the photographs they create. For this reason, I always ask the students to write a two- or three-sentence explanation of how the photograph fits the assignment. I have found that many of the statements are very thoughtful and worthy of being published on motivational posters. Table 1 shows a list of possible scavenger hunt items to be photographed.

SCAMPERSCAMPER is an acronym for idea-spurring verbs to improve

objects or generate ideas. The SCAMPER list is a modification by Bob Eberle of the work of Alex Osborn. Each letter in SCAMPER stands for a different strategy (see Table 2). Although SCAMPER is often used in teaching students the inventing process, it can also be used to help students look at common objects in new ways. Each student can select, or be assigned, a common object. The student then sets about creating seven unique photographs of the object based on each letter of SCAMPER.

Perhaps a student has selected a common chair. The student might photograph the chair being used as a ladder (Put to New Uses). The challenge for the student is to make the photographs interesting and unusual. Simply having another student stand on the chair would not meet the criteria of producing an interesting photograph.

Table 1. Possible Items to Include in a Photography Scavenger Hunt

Photograph something that . . .

changes every day

has not changed in 100 years

no one finds beautiful

is used in a way that you would not expect it to be used

teachers love and students hate

Picasso would have painted

is shaped like the first letter of the word that describes it (i.e., a lamp post might look like an “l,” which is the first letter in lamp)

would be a good idea for a rap song

is essential but seldom noticed

is larger than life

Table 2. Sample Questions for Making Modifications Based on the SCAMPER Acronym

Letter Question

Substitute What can you use instead of the object?

Combine Which can be combined or added together?

Adapt What else is like this, what can be copied or imitated?

Modify/Magnify/Minify

Can you change an attribute? Can you make something larger or stronger? Can you make something lighter or smaller?

Put to New Uses Can it be used in a way other than how it was intended to be used?

Eliminate What can you take away or remove?

Rearrange/Reverse Can you interchange parts or change the order?

Figure 6. Joining “pinky fingers” represents the importance of a significant other to a student’s identity.Source: Photography by Meagan Zwick.

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Students enjoy taking pictures. They also enjoy thinking creatively. The mixture of photography and creativity is a winning combination. Completing these assignments with analog cameras and film would have been difficult and expensive. Fortunately, the ubiquity of video-recording devices makes assignments like these inexpensive, easy to implement, and enjoyable for students of all ages. Through these assignments, students learn more about themselves, and teachers come to know their students better. Students also begin to understand that they have an additional avenue beyond writing and speaking through which to express themselves.

Conflict of InterestThe author(s) declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Bio

Del Siegle, PhD, is head of the Educational Psychology Department in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut and past president of the National Association for Gifted Children. He directs the three summers and online master’s degree programs in gifted education.

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