Objective of this evaluation method was to show strong and weak sides of school by making school life photos and to find ways of these problems solving.
Photo evaluation method: to take school and schooling photos to show good things at school and things to improve, to write comments to photos, to discuss about results and if there were any problems, to decide how to solve them and improve the school.
Photo-evaluation was done in our school in autumn 2005. There were three groups to do photo-evaluation:
1. Students (from 3 different classes)
2. Teachers
3. Administration
SEFES team instructed them how to do photo-evaluation, what is the purpose of this method, when is the deadline of final results. Every group was free in choosing what to show in their photos. There were taken about 120 photos. Every group had to choose the mostly important pictures from their point of view, to write comments on them and to bring to school photo-evaluation exhibition. Photos of three groups’ photo-evaluation were publicly presented at school. During exhibition in school hall all the school community and school guests could see photos with comments for one week. There was the box to which everybody could write down and put to it their comments about photos, school problems that they see, to give advice, to suggest something. That helped us to do photo-evaluation wider and to involve more people to this process. All the notes were anonymous so we were expecting more open opinions.
Next photo-evaluation step was discussions, conclusions and plan how to solve problems and improve school.
SEFES team and three persons from every group (from students, teachers and administration) had meeting for discussions about photo-evaluation results. All these participants have to read notes from the box and to prepare their comments on them. All three target groups have had the discussion about photo-evaluation results, what is mostly actual for every group, how to solve actual problems, improve school. There were intensive debates, every group told their opinion about photos, collected comments and suggestions. We tried to find the common decisions.
Steps of photo-evaluation:
- Formulating 3 groups (administration, teachers, students)
- Taking pictures
- Photo-evaluation exhibition with comments
- School community notes put in the box
- Participants meeting and discussions, suggestions, conclusions
- Decisions how to improve school and to solve problems
Administration team in their photos has showed:
- Planning schooling process
- Specialities
- Main assistants on training process
- Teaching and training results
- Students in practice places
Teachers’ team photos were about:
- Lessons as the main point of schooling process
- Intervals
- Methodological circles
- International collaborations and projects
- Festivals, celebrations, main school events
- “Grandchildren” of school
Students’ photos showed:
- Teaching
- Training
- Students leisure
- School buildings and equipment
- Intervals
- Students problems
All three evaluating groups had different view to school and tried to show what is important for group:
- Administration tried to show image of school, its purpose, final training results and possibilities.
- Teachers paid the main attention to teaching-learning activity, relations with students, festivals and competitions at school and outside the school.
- Students showed deficiencies and advantages of school buildings, vocational and professional training and free time. They emphasized the main their problems.
Conclusions:
- Photo evaluation helped administration and teachers to understand better students’ attitude towards school, studies, training and teaching.
- It helped to reveal the problems and while discussions to solve or foresee the means of their solving.
- Students were sure that their opinion is important, seen and they began to look to their activity with more responsibility.
The analysis was done by Rima Kubiliene
Kaunas Trade and Business school
