Picture Prompts, What are They Good For?
Active Learning & Picture Prompt
Active learning is an approach which encourages and allows students to be active participants in the learning process. Active learning allows students to be engaged and involved in their learning by discussing, writing, speaking or creating. Active learning not only creates an opportunity for students to be engaged but it allows educators to connect with their students. By working on activities together can form a better relationship between students and teachers. It can also increase the student's motivation to learn. It is important to design activities around learning outcomes and to put special focus on subjects that may seem confusing to the students. You may ask, what is an example of active learning? Let's talk Picture Prompts.
I have always thought that there is power in pictures! Pictures allow use to connect to others even if we may not speak their language or know them. Pictures can assist us in forming connections and actively learn new things. Picture Prompt is a strategy that requires the presenter or educator to display a picture to students and ask them to identify or explain it with rationale or justification. This strategy can be used for information literacy, low-stake writing assignments, encouraging use of oral or writing skills for English Language Learners (ELL) and much more!
How do you use Picture Prompts?
I am an English Language Learner (ELL) educator and this is exactly what I do with my students. Most of the students that walk through my classroom know very little English or none at all. I find picture prompts to be the best way to connect with them while having them involved in their learning. I work with students in the lower primary age group so their language skills are developing and improving rapidly. For my students, I start with promoting oral language skills and then move to writing skills, depending on their development. Each student is different so flexibility and patience is key! It is important for students in ELL to get exposure in speaking and writing about pictures. This encourages them to improve their language skills while being an active participant in their learning. Feel free to read more about how teachers are using picture writing prompts for ELL students. Picture prompt is one of the many active learning strategies out there. I encourage you to give picture prompt a try and research others.
References
aworldoflanguagelearners. (2020, February 18). Writing About Photographs With ELLs. A World of
Language Learners. https://www.aworldoflanguagelearners.com/writing-about-photographs-with-
english-language-learners/
Everyone Deserves to Learn. (2014). Picture Writing Prompts for ELL Newcomers. Everyone Deserves to
Learn. https://www.everyonedeservestolearn.com/blog//2014/05/picture-writing-prompts-for-
ell.html
Sarah's Writing Spot. (2023, January 31). How to Teach Writing with Picture Prompts. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0PNWuRzrRA
The New York Times Learning Network. (2020). A Picture Prompt Is Worth a Thousand Words: Use
Times Images to Build Literacy Skills. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=unON1TexPoE
I love it. As a foreigner who learned English as a second language, I agree that images go a long way in conveying concepts. You can almost see the light turn on a student's face when you show them the picture of a concept you are trying to explain in a different language. What are some of the language speakers you have been privileged to work with?
ReplyDeletePictures truly are amazing for communicating to students from all backgrounds. It allows educators to be able to connect with students and students to speak through images. I am fluent in Spanish so I work primarily with Spanish speakers. However in the past I have worked with students who speak Haitian Creole and French.
DeleteI taught a multiage ELL classroom for fifteen years and found the Picture Prompt active learning strategy invaluable for my students. As you know visuals and real life objects are very important in helping our students to learn English and be able to actively participate in the classroom. Did you know that Brain Pop provides picture prompt activities for EL students? https://educators.brainpop.com/brainpop-esl-teacher-resources/brainpop-esl-picture-prompts/
ReplyDeleteHi Teresa!
DeletePicture Prompt truly is a fantastic strategy for active learning. I did know about Brain Pop's Picture Prompts and I use it in my class often! There are so many tools out there that highlight active listening and picture prompts. If you have any other suggestions, I would love to know. Thanks for your comment!
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI love this! I think Picture Prompt is a great strategy to get students involved! As you mentioned it is great for ELL students, but the thing I love about this is it is so accessible to all different types of learners! In math we use pictures/graphics a lot! I think it is so valuable to have students describe a graph or table before we really even dive into the lesson. As they say, a picture says 1,000 words, and I couldn't agree more!
I love the idea of having students create a story from a single picture! This is a great lesson at multiple grade levels, not just younger students!
Thanks for sharing!
Ashley, you make a great point about accessibility! Pictures can be another way to communicate with students or others who may not be able to use their voice. I think it is important to acknowledge that picture prompts can be used in every day life, not just in education!
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