Read all about it! "Visual Learning Analysis"
Putting a Focus on Social Emotional and Embodied Learning with the Visual Learning Analysis (VLA)
Kathryn F. Whitmore
Christie Angleton
Jennifer Pruitt
Shauntá Miller‑Crumes
Early Childhood Education Journal (2019)
doi.org/10.1007/s10643-019-00955-3
Abstract
Research increasingly recognizes the importance of social emotional and embodied learning in early childhood, and yet few studies provide early childhood researchers and teachers with tools for documenting and interpreting the meanings made in these languages. At the same time, many early childhood teachers in Reggio Emilia-inspired programs and others take hundreds of photographs for documentation of children’s learning, and yet are uncertain about what to look for in them. In this qualitative study, which occurred in a Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool classroom in the southeastern U.S., photographs from regularly occurring classroom activity were analyzed with a research method called the Visual Learning Analysis (VLA). The VLA revealed evidence of children’s social emotional and embodied learning and made visible the teacher’s value of children as capable of refection and of making choices about materials and learning spaces. It offered an opportunity to discuss how children explored and used materials according to their own timeframes within authentic social relationships. Findings from this study indicated that the VLA is a useful tool for teachers and coaches, as well as researchers, to see more in photographs of children engaged in classroom activity and suggest that the VLA process can support early childhood teachers’ professional development.
How many of us know the number of pictures we took in the last month? How about in the last week? What about yesterday? Carrying cameras has opened opportunities for us to capture nearly any moment of our lives, yet we seldom consider that these photos could provide us with more than memories. By methodically analyzing an image for a set number of criteria teachers can gain a more in-depth understanding of the content contained within. Using pre-determined and specific questions sets this approach to analysis is open to anyone with or without prior experience. Through repeated use of this method a teacher can develop a better understanding of body language of individual learns and specific learning needs of those learners.
“The VLA affords researchers who are increasingly interested in the role of emotion and embodiment in young children’s learning opportunities to zoom in and notice the details of children’s learning and early childhood teaching practices...”
Visual Learning Analysis is the process of focusing on the specific elements of photograph, or a series of photographs, to determine a more complete understanding of the photographs content. A 4-level approach is explored in the research. Each level brings a different aspect of analysis to bear. Those levels build upon themselves to help the researcher form a more complete image of the student being studied.
The 4-level analysis procedure featured in the study.
“For practitioners, the VLA supports attention to details that might otherwise be missed in the furry of busy classrooms and active children. Reggio-inspired and other teachers take many photographs but are often uncertain about what to make of them.”
Notable in these analyses are the inclusion of group reviewed efforts. This is applicable for grade level teams, co-teachers, parents or any pairs that have overlapping experiences with the students. While the inclusion of outside input might bring about different insight; by in the large the intricacies of each child should be taken into account by those who have spent significant amounts of time with them. Another noteworthy take away is that this activity is a great method for establishing understanding between parents and teachers as a way to build a common perspective with agreed upon values of their child.
“Teams of educators—practitioner-coach partners, communities of practice, or teacher research study groups—working together could build from the examples from this study by thinking about the image of the child or the environment as third teacher.”
The question sets are easily understood and accessible but it should be important to note that through repeated use of this methodology the user gains a better grasp of body language vocabulary that helps to describe what they are seeing. One this that the Whitemore study lacks is the lingua franca used to describe the children in these learning environments – as specificity is almost implicit required to avoid ambiguity. That is to say one persons understanding of what they meant by something as ambiguous as “displays confidence” is potentially vastly different from another.
An example of VLA conducted during the Whitemore et. al. study. Notice the inclusion of multiple layers of marking and positioning reminders.
Implementing this level of analysis has been an excellent addition to our evaluation procedures in our grade-level. Not only does it encourage the sharing of ideas and perspectives but also helps to deepen our insight into the personality and learning styles of our students.
