Photos communicate on another level to text, opening different ways of learning and understanding.

We live in a sophisticated visual environment where print media work hard to produce the right photo that will convey a story or product. Using good quality photos in the classroom is another way to stimulate learning.

The photos on World Vision’s posters have been taken by photographers around the world working in or visiting communities where World Vision works. They bring their local and often international experience, portraying places, experiences and stories that ordinary people wouldn’t usually see.

The poster photos have been chosen to convey different aspects or perspectives on global issues. The photos are designed to use with the captions, information and activities on the back of the poster, but there’s much more you can do. Here are a few ideas.

Available March Extreme disasters are global news events with around the clock coverage. Yet what do we really know about how aid kicks in and the reality of what’s happening on the ground? Order this free disaster response poster online from March 2010: www.worldvision.org.nz/educationshop

To start a topic of study, present a group of photos to students. With no additional clues, students gather information from the photos and begin to make predictions about what the photos have in common or what they could be about. Supplement the images with snippets of information to inform their predictions. For an inquiry starter, students can form questions around what they see in the photos, clarifying issues they wish to learn more about.

Use photos from different posters to compare or rank global issues. Select images that illustrate human or child rights which students identify and label. Then they can group them in different ways. Which rights seem similar? Which rights are most important and where would students place them in order of importance?

Combine photos from different posters to create sets on other topics such as: school, homes, clothes, health, food, daily life, work, places, development, gender roles, etc.

Alternatively, add a global focus to your own photo sets by supplementing them with photos from the posters. It’s another way to expand students perceptions with experiences outside of their own.

Help students look beyond the action in the photo to critical information in the background that describes the place.

(i) Duplicate the photo then “black out” or cover the action or subject in the shot so the background comes into focus.

(ii) Copy the photos and cut them into simple puzzle pieces making students look at the background details to piece them together.

Use a variety of questions to prompt visual interpretation. It’s important for students to include reasoning in their answers.

• Who is in the photo, what are they doing, and why?
• What happened before and what should happen next?
• What caused this situation, and how could it be changed?
• How is the situation in the photo similar or different to your life?

To order a selection of posters: www.worldvision.org.nz/educationshop