Ebook Using Visual Evidence

What do we mean by ‘visual evidence’? How should we interpret visual texts, and what can they tell us? Why is ‘visual literacy’ so important and what benefits does it offer? Visual evidence encompasses a diverse range of media, from painting, cartoons and photography, to film, television and documentary. The central argument of this book is that visual evidence is a key to understanding both history and the present day and should not be relegated to a supporting role as merely illustrating the written word. The book shows students, scholars and researchers how to read the visual media to elicit meaning. As primary sources, visual texts can be studied not only for what is directly depicted in the painting or film but also for what it tells us about the people, cultures and societies that made them. Each chapter features fascinating case studies and examples which situate theory in real life. A major appeal of the book is the wealth of illustrations and photographs of visual texts which are included throughout. The authors make detailed reference to these examples to illustrate the theory surrounding visual evidence. An intriguing case study of an unknown girl’s photo album is just one of many examples offered, showing how we can analyze and learn from the visual text. This comprehensive and insightful edited collection brings together international media and cultural theorists, historians and art historians to demonstrate the value of visual evidence not only to media and cultural studies, but also to history, the general humanities and the social sciences.

“As the lead teacher for student voice and participation, this publication has already become an invaluable guide and resource. The book can be used to strengthen, invigorate and champion school councils and pupil voice so much valued by Ofsted. The practical strategies given for how to involve young people in key decision making are easy to follow and will produce solid and impressive results quickly.” Shaun Sedgwick, Assistant Headteacher – Aldridge School This practical two-in-one classroom resource has everything you need to introduce action research in your own educational setting and will help you strengthen pupil voice in your school. You can familiarize yourself with the basics of pupil action research in the accessible Teacher Guide, while your students will be ready to start their research using the downloadable Pupil Resource Packs on the accompanying CD-ROM. The pupil resources are differentiated for primary pupils and secondary students and produced in colour. They contain ready made templates for action research assignments and offer fun, basic handbooks for children and young people to use when embarking on their research, in partnership with a senior member of staff. The resource will enable pupils to feel more confident when in discussion with external visitors, such as OFSTED inspectors. Rita Cheminais’ practical resource will enable you to: Understand the concept, principles and process of pupil-led action research Identify the most appropriate action research approaches to use Unlock the potential of pupils to search for evidence to inform whole school decision-making and bring about change Further develop and build upon existing good practice in pupil-led research Explore the potential to gain a national Change for Children AwardChildren and Young People as Action Researchers is packed with useful information and practical advice, as well as signposting pupils and teachers to further reading, websites and resources. Teachers overseeing pupils’ undertaking action research in primary and secondary schools, academies, PRU’s, FE and Sixth Form colleges will find it indispensable.

"If you know and love young children, find a way to read this book. Here you will discover the hidden talents of young children for complexity, design, and tenacity for learning... a wonderful addition to the too-small library of quality books on young children's learning through art." Shirley Brice Heath, Professor Emerita, Stanford University and Professor at Large, Brown University, USA "This book is unique in giving an in-depth account of the way young children approach drawing at home and at school. It shows the cognitive value of drawing in children’s intellectual and emotional development and sets out the truly extraordinary range of drawing types that are used and understood by three to six year olds…. It is an invaluable experience." Professor Ken Baynes, Department of Design and Technology, Loughborough University, UK This book explores how young children learn to draw and draw to learn, at home and school. It provides support for practitioners in developing a pedagogy of drawing in Art and Design and across the curriculum and provide advice for parents about how to make sense of their children’s drawings. Making Sense of Children’s Drawings is enlivened with the real drawings of seven young children, collected over three years. These drawings stimulated dialogues with the children, parents and practitioners whose voices are reported in the book. The book makes a powerful argument for us to radically re-think the role of drawing in young children’s construction of meaning, communication and sense of identity. It provides insights into the influence of media and consumerism, as reflected in popular visual imagery, and on gender identity formation in young children. It also offers strong messages about the overemphasis on the three Rs in early childhood education. Key reading for students, practitioners and parents who want to encourage young children’s drawing development without ‘interfering’ with their creativity, and who need a novel approach to tuning into young children’s passions and pre-occupations.

Concentrating on the pictorial evidence, these papers raise many complex and varied themes related to women's creation, use and patronage of books, and the representation of women in them.

What does the National Curriculum mean to pupils and teachers at Key Stage One? How have teachers and children coped with the ongoing changes? How has subject teaching altered in infant classrooms? In A National Curriculum for the Early Years, Angela Anning and her team of contributors set out to examine these issues. Infant teachers and their pupils were the guinea pigs for the introduction of the National Curriculum over a five year period. Despite many reservations about a subject-based curriculum for young children, teachers struggled to interpret the National Curriculum Orders into a workable, if not manageable, curriculum in their classrooms. The contributors to this book, each experts in a subject discipline, have kept in close touch with practising and intending infant teachers as the National Curriculum was operationalized in primary schools. They have used their teacher networks, as well as research evidence, to tap into the strategies used by infant teachers to cope with the planning, delivery and assessment of the National Curriculum subjects and the effects of government policy changes on young children's learning. Together the contributors provide a timely analysis of subject discipline based education for young children and look ahead to the prospects for those subjects at Key Stage One in the second half of the 1990s. This book will be essential reading for anyone involved in the education of young children.

* What is 'interactive teaching' in primary classrooms? * What do primary teachers and children do to interact effectively? * Are there benefits in such interactions to both teaching and learning? A research partnership of tutors and teachers strives towards answers to these key questions. This book is the story of this intriguing and exciting research project. The authors examine the practical and theoretical aspects that are key to understanding and undertaking interactive teaching in primary classrooms. The project is unique in using its own interactive processes, 'Reflective Dialogues', to help teachers make sense of their own teaching. This process includes capturing and analysing classroom sessions on video; and cameos of these classroom interactions are discussed throughout the book. The research context is the Literacy Hour in Key Stages 1 and 2. This new title is key reading for academics, researchers, teacher educators, policymakers and primary school teachers.

A considerable amount of money is invested in an ongoing basis on large scale projects to enhance the quality of teaching and learning within the higher education sector. Examples from the UK include the Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund and the creation of CELTS - Centres for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Similar initiatives can be found in most other Westernized countries. These projects (and other, smaller institutional projects) require evaluation, but the higher education sector has not conceptualized such evaluation work and therefore the opportunity to understand the value of such projects is frequently missed. Reconceptualising Evaluative Practices in HE aims to aid understanding, drawing on a set of evaluative practices from the UK and internationally to foster understanding, which will be of genuine value and relevance to higher education over an indefinite period of time.

Students' Perspectives on Schooling explores how schools might be transformed for the better, by giving greater weight to the views of students. Osler explores various arguments for involving learners in decision-making processes, including: The potential benefits to schools and the wider community Moral and legal reasons based on human rights principles Gaining fresh insights into the processes of teaching and learning Firmly grounded in research, it analyses data collected from young people living in both the UK and US. Almost 2000 students reported on their current education provision and the degree to which they felt it met their needs. In keeping with the spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Students' Perspectives on Schooling engages with the voices of these young people to consider how they might inform educational policy making. It argues that consulting young people is not only beneficial to the everyday life of schools, but that the future health of democratic societies demands that we re-think relationships between adults and young people. A must read for teachers, school leaders, educational researchers, and anyone involved with educational policy-making and planning.