Using engaging resources: images

Photographs can reveal masses of information about the wider world and provide an excellent stimulus for enquiry-based learning. They can also suggest information about the attitudes and assumptions of the photographer.

Interpreting an image is similar to reading a text, but images can be more powerful than the written word in affecting our feelings and attitudes. In addition, photographs can give mixed messages, depending on how images are used by the media.

In the classroom, an image or collection of images can be used in a variety of ways.


			Bright idea


		Continent work in art: The teacher presents a picture of a landscape to pupils and then poses questions such as ‘Would the whole world look like this picture in December?’ This question, and others like it, becomes an opportunity to discuss differing climates throughout the world. The class can then be divided into groups to decide a country or area to focus on. The groups then research the features and climate graphs of the country or area to gauge an understanding of the climate in that area. Pupils can produce artwork based on the climate, geographical and locational research, and could even make a travelogue. The artwork could then be used to establish the pupils’ understanding of climates. [Fran Martin, University College, Worcester]


			Bright idea


		Ask families going on holiday or parents going on trips to locations overseas, which are geographically interesting, to take photographs (with a digital camera or a disposable camera provided by the geography department), to build up your stock of useful images. It may even be possible to have the photos emailed to the school. [Stephen Smith, King Edward VI Grammar School, Essex]


			Bright idea


		Every picture tells a story Working as individuals or in groups, pupils can 'read' the image by asking questions, for example: where was the image taken? what people are in the image? what are they doing? what are they saying to each other? what are they wearing? how do you think they are feeling? what objects are in the image, and what are they for? what is the environment like? are there any problems in the image, and what action could be taken to tackle them? what might happen next? how does the image make you feel?


			Bright idea


		Memory games Hand out an image to each pupil. Allow them to study it for one minute. Remove the photographs and ask the pupils to sketch or describe the image from memory. This emphasises the point that photographs can be studied seriously.


			Bright idea


		Adding captions Pupils can write their own captions for images, or write captions from a particular viewpoint or interest group to illustrate bias. Visit the global eye website for an on line example using images of street children.


			Bright idea


		Image cropping Select a large image and cover up half of it. Display the other half for all the pupils to see, and encourage them to imagine what is in the rest of the image.


			Bright idea


		Seeing through the spin To examine how images are manipulated and/or digitally enhanced to communicate certain messages, select an image that has been used as an advertisement or as part of a campaign in the media. Encourage the pupils to think about who is making and using the image to consider: who or what is being photographed? does the image give a positive or negative impression? where and when was it taken? what is the purpose of the image? who is the intended audience? what effect does the image have? has the image been manipulated in any way? would the image give a different impression if it were reversed? The resource pack Seeing through the spin (Baby Milk Action/Reading International Solidarity Centre 2001) contains ideas and activities that look at the media manipulation of images. Visit the Baby Milk Action website for more information.


			Bright idea


		Hand out images to pupils in groups. Complete an acrostic on the image by coming up with a word for each letter of the alphabet to describe something they see in the image, something they feel about the place shown, something they hear in the image, etc. As a follow-up, pupils could write a story based around the image, using their own words.

More developed ideas

Urban odd one out
This plenary activity follows the format of the ‘odd one out’ game on the BBC television programme ‘Have I got news for you?’. The teacher chooses four appropriate images that represent a range of ideas such as advantages/disadvantages or human/physical. The simple example provided could be used at the end of a discussion about the benefits and problems of urban life in an MEDC.
[Charles Rawding, Edge Hill College of Higher Education]
PDF 88Kb | RTF 967Kb | Help

Reading photographs: what images do we have of England?
The aim of this year 7 lesson is to teach pupils how to ‘read’ photographs – take information from a visual form, make connections between what is visible and what they already know, speculate and hypothesise using the evidence in the photographs – and to use these skills to assess and evaluate a set of photographs and to determine whether or not they are likely to have been taken in/of England. Through this activity pupils should recognise that understanding and interpreting place is determined by individual perception and may be influenced by knowledge of stereotypes.

What was particularly encouraging when this activity was carried out with a mixed-ability year 7 class was the high level of reasoning demonstrated by pupils when seeking to identify whether a photo was in England or not. For instance, one pupil, answering with reference to the photo of the windmill at Lytham St Annes, asserted that the photo was in England because the housing in the background was very similar to housing they were aware of in Southport.

The answer frame provided in this activity can easily be adapted for other lessons.
[Tony Mellors, St Aelred’s Technology College, Newton Le Willows]
PDF 244Kb | RTF 3,150Kb | Help

Using a vision frame to highlight differences in LEDCs
The lesson uses a vision frame (see Representing Geography by L Taylor, 2004) to encourage pupils to think about different images from the LEDC being studied (in this case Kenya). Such a framework has a wide range of possible uses where contrasting imagery is a suitable vehicle for delivering learning objectives.
[Katy Valentine]
PDF 111Kb | RTF 2,636Kb | Help

Taking a walk through a shanty town
Using the photo pack ‘Fala Favela’ (see PDF/RTF) as the stimulus material, this year 9 activity asks pupils to take a mental walk through a shanty town in Brazil. The activity gives particular emphasis to helping pupils develop their visual memory and imagination to aid their recall of an unfamiliar environment. This activity is suitable for mixed-ability groups as it utilises visual memories to carry out geographical enquiry.
[David Beresford, Coleridge Community College, Cambridgeshire]
PDF 22Kb | RTF 22Kb | Help

Reading photographs
Three activities involving pupils in reading and interpreting images – one a general activity used at the beginning of year 7, one on photographs of Italy and one on photographs of national parks.
[Sarah Hide, Haverstock School, Camden]
PDF 68Kb | RTF 133Kb | Help

Other information

Images can be easily downloaded from the following websites:

www.google.co.uk (click on 'images')
www.freefoto.com
www.sln.org.uk/geography/Images.htm
www.sln.org.uk/wow/
www.landsat.org (for a satellite image gallery)
www.globaleye.org.uk ('On Camera' section for images of the developing world)
www.earthfromtheair.com (for a collection of aerial photographs)
www.geographyphotos.com (images for teaching geography)

The Geographical Association website provides a number of sets of images. The 'Wonderful World' section provides a range of images from around the world, each of which is accompanied by primary questions and activities based on the image. The ‘Tours’ section includes sets of images on South Africa and China, for use in teaching, and information about each. The site also provides guidance on using images in geography.

The Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers website provides image galleries of Around the coast of Britain the Amazon, as well as image galleries from Unlocking the Archives on Antarctica – extreme wilderness and Mount Everest and its ascent. A set of case studies on the website also provide sets of images in the form of PowerPoint presentations.

The presentation software Photojam allows photographs (eg images of geographical topics, fieldwork) to be linked together in a sequence with lively transitions between the photographs and the option of adding music.

The Visual Geography page of the Staffordshire Learning Network website provides a number of PowerPoint presentations produced by teachers in the style of nine-number pictureboard, as used in 'A question of sport'. They offer a range of visual stimuli on different topics, including Japan, Kobe, glaciation, flooding, coasts and a question of crime.

The Space Imaging website and the Digital Globe website provide a range of excellent satellite images.

The GeoResources website provides a range of photographs of Canada, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, China, N.E. England and New York.

There are also a number of excellent photo-packs commercially available for use in schools.





		Planning matters


		Learning matters

		-	Introduction

		-	Enquiry learning

		-	Getting started

		-	Thinking skills

		-	Values, attitudes and issues

		-	Using maps


		-	Using images

		-	Using popular culture

		-	Using print material

		-	Using statistics and graphs

		-	Using props and models

		-	Using ICT

		-	Promoting creativity

		-	Communicating outcomes

		-	Plenaries



		Assessment matters


		Leading geography


		Geography plus