Thursday, June 19, 2014

A Picture Speaks....When They Cannot: A Secret for Evaluations

Children nervous about annual evaluations? 
Photos to the rescue.



New situations (and even not-so-new situations) can bubble up anxiety. Annual evaluations are no different.
Amazingly, children, even nervous ones, come alive when photos are included in their portfolio of work samples. Photos supply visual cues, reminders of events and activities. They provide hints for conversation starters, offering pictures for unspoken words. An astute evaluator can use photos as vehicles for unobtrusive questions, inviting dialogue. Adding photos to the portfolio of work samples can be one of the greatest gifts a parent can provide an anxious child.

Photos talk when children are short on words during annual evaluations. With pictures, children are warmly invited into a conversation about their school year progress. Our experience has been children quiet, quickly become talkative and engaged, excited. Adding photos to the portfolio is well-worth the effort taken to include them. Photos talk when words are scarce.

No comments:

Post a Comment