I first became interested in this program while I was a freshman at Elizabethtown College. I continued to research and plan classroom-based activities using photography as one of the main tools. My senior year of college at Shippensburg University, I was given the opportunity to complete an action-research project during my student teaching. I jumped at this opportunity to implement LTP in the classroom and research its effects. I then compiled my information into a paper which will be published in a journal sometime this month.
In March of 2005, I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop at Duke University. The workshop was conducted by two of the people who helped to begin and first implement this program in the classrooms of inner-city Durham, NC. It was an amazing workshop where I was able to gain a better understanding of LTP and how to incorporate it into my curriculum.
I implemented this program in a fifth-grade classroom in Gettysburg, over a 12-week period. The positive effects it had on my students was unbelievable. I have listed only a FEW of these effects below:
- vocabulary retention and test scores increased
- increased student interest in writing
- gave students a sense of responsibility
- improved students' abilities to work cooperatively in groups
- a more-open relationship between students and teachers
- and (my favorite) many students became higher critical thinkers and learned how to think for themselves!
I am anxious to see the positive results and enjoyable projects which can be completed at a first grade level. I am confident that reaching out to students with these tools at a younger age will be even more beneficial. We will see how it goes!
Literacy Through Photography:
Below: Students take pictures for vocabulary flashcards in social studies.
