Photography, Art, and Quasi-art

Photographs and artwork celebrate and evoke creativity and curiosity. Stirring a thirst in students for delving beyond words into deeper consciousness, planting kernels of curiosity, whetting their appetite for learning counts for much more than pouring information into their heads. Photographs and artwork play a prominent part in my teaching and practice. While I have absolutely no talent in either art or photography, each nevertheless has educational and therapeutic value in sharpening students’ cognitive ability and honing their emotional sensitivity. It is frustrating to convey the elusive essence of photography and artwork as educational adjuncts. They have a palpable impact on learning, practice, and fostering productive and healthy interaction. Both photography and art embody so much more than words can say. They offer for teachers and students alike a more raw and honest means of communication than words do. They change ways of seeing. More than for their aesthetic impact, photographs and artwork are versatile and riveting in teaching. They nurture spontaneity, reduce distance between students and students, and students and you. In the long run, images have staying power. They remain in students’ minds far better and far longer than words do. They promote retention and recall. They help to make the invisible visible by compressing intangible and ephemeral ideas into concrete form. They transform the intangible and tacit into the graphic and tangible. Photographs and artwork, drawn upon in a variety of ways, amplify key points, direct attention to non-traditional material, arouse an array of senses, and appeal to different learning styles. Because they are so palpable, the language of visual line, color, and image deepens comprehension. Photographs and artwork readily trigger associations. No question, ‘‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’’ Words sometimes have a tendency to obscure meaning. Have at hand a diversity of nonverbal techniques for student expression. A multidimensional approach makes it more possible to access the inner person. Photographs and artwork make it possible to go beyond talking; they speak a language of sensation and symbolization. The distinctive benefits of using photographs and artwork are stimulation and motivation, definition and elucidation.