Paper presented at the CLESOL conference. People create stories to explain and make sense of their environment and events within it. In early childhood education in the Centre for Refugee Education, Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre, Auckland, these stories, from past and present fulfill an important role. Through them, teachers and parents share previous experiences which impact upon and are reflected in the planning and the assessment of children’s learning. This paper examines visual depictions of story episodes and how appreciation is deepened through photographic image de- and reconstruction. A series of photographs of early childhood situations were presented twice for interpretation, first, as ‘gestalt’ images from which written interpretations were obtained. Second, a ‘visual grid’ was introduced for the same pictures which prompted greater attention to particulars and enabled computer analyses. This approach heightens interpretation and centralizes parental involvement. This ‘novel’ approach to qualitative research is a valid ‘method’ for teachers and researchers alike. (Description from source)
