The school library felt serious and focused as our kids carefully analyzed the images in front of them, first noticing the details and then trying to make sense of them. Standing back with much pride, I watched our kids as they worked on this fundamental Literacy Through Photography (LTP) task—reading photographs. Carefully interpreting a photograph in order to imagine the story behind the image is the core of LTP’s teaching method.

LTP uses photography as an educational tool in elementary school classrooms. In addition to encouraging self expression, provoking thoughtful discussions, and stimulating high-level analysis, LTP helps students realize that everyone sees the world differently. With seemingly unlimited potential for application, I wholeheartedly believe in this dynamic and creative approach to teaching critical thinking skills.

In my college application essay I wrote about my three passions: children, education, and photography, and I described Literacy Through Photography as the perfect marriage of these passions. I then spent my college career putting this unique teaching method into practice.

Interestingly, it was LTP that first led me to Tanzania—I spent the summers of 2008, 2009, and 2010 in Tanzania introducing LTP to the Tanzanian school system as part of a DukeEngage project. It was during this time that I fell in love with Tanzania.

This summer my worlds collided in a wonderful way when the DukeEngage group hosted a special LTP workshop for our TFFT scholars at Usa River Academy! I was delighted to see our kids benefit from this imaginative process, and I was equally thrilled for my peers in the DukeEngage program to meet our kids!

The one-day workshop was an absolute success, but what grew out of it is even more exciting. Literacy Through Photography piqued the interested of the TFFT team, and we arranged for a meeting of the minds lunch date for the LTP and TFFT teams. Melissa was especially intrigued by the participatory and child-centered method, and she arranged for Program Director Katie Hyde and Program Coordinator Annaliese Gegenheimer to lead an LTP Teacher Training workshop for the teachers of TFFT’s partner schools. Melissa will share more about this experience here on Wednesday!

You can read personal reflections from the Duke students regarding there work with our kids here, here, and here.