Leaders in Literacy Conference

At the end of this session participants will be able to:
-explain the importance of context in a motivational model of learning
-describe how the technique of photo voice can be used to trigger context in content literacy instruction
-create a simple photo voice lesson that targets content literacy
The South Carolina ELA state standards emphasize "meaning and context" as a key idea for Reading, Writing, and Communication. This parallels with research in motivational theory, showing that personal relevance, or context, enhance autonomous motivation of the learner. This lesson will introduce participants to a technique I have used to enhance personal relevance when targeting content literacy in science. Modified from the social sciences, photo voice is a technique that asks the learner to locate their own images as literary metaphors and to explain the connection between an image and content vocabulary. Participants will use ThingLink, an online interactive poster builder, to practice a photo voice assignment. Sample instructions and rubrics will be provided to participants. This will be an interactive session. Participants will have hands-on experience with the techniques and should walk away with knowledge and skills to integrate photo voice into their classrooms.