Using Photo Journals to Support Real-World Connections to Classroom Content

Abstract

It is unfortunately common for students to find that what they learn in the classroom feels disconnected from their personal experiences and interests. This article details the process by which a high school biology teacher employed a democratic science teaching framework to guide her interactions with students. By actively soliciting student voice, she uncovered the students’ sense of disconnection with the classroom content. She then leveraged her students interests to develop a photo-journal project where students had the agency to bring elements of their own lives and interests into the context of science learning. As a result, students reported a marked increase in their conception of science as being relevant or useful to solving problems in their own lives.

Keywords::

• Biology
• Democratic Science Teaching
• student voice
• photography

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00368555.2023.2292334.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Casandra Gonzalez

Dr. Casandra Gonzalez ([email protected]) (ORCID: 0000-0002-1618-2676) (https://www.linkedin.com/in/casandra-gonzalez-562086143/) is currently working as a science education specialist for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She received her PhD in Curriculum & Instruction from Boston College.