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Using Photos with English Language Learners
Pictures are all around us in our everyday lives, so why not include them in tutoring sessions as well?
Pictures are one of the most obvious and common resources for teaching English as a second language. After all, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. If we can get our students to respond to a single image with a thousand of their own words, or a hundred or ten or even one, that can be a significant step toward language production and effective word usage.
Pictures are enjoyable, they set the scene or context, they inform us, they interest us. They provide a basis for communicative and interactive tutoring sessions.
Why use pictures?
They form a key resource for accessing the learning style that each student has. Using pictures strongly appeals to visual learners, who may under-perform in a speaking- and listening-based tutoring setting. They also offer an opportunity for movement and a multi-dimensional perspective, which will reach kinesthetic learners.
- Pictures are not based on level. Of course, specific pictures can be selected to access a certain area of vocabulary; however, any picture can be the basis of any kind of activity at any level.
- Pictures add a touch of intrigue to the tutoring session and make a lesson much more dynamic, as the student’s imagination is aroused. This is especially useful with a student who finds it difficult to use their imagination. A picture provides a support for ideas, which the student can then build on more easily than inventing their own context all together.
- Pictures also add pace to tutoring sessions. A student’s reaction to a picture is almost immediate, whereas the same reaction from a discussion or a worksheet could take much, much longer. Interest and enthusiasm are evident when a picture is introduced.
Finding pictures:
Internet
The internet is a fantastic source of pictures. This adds the bonus of being current and relatable. These are some suggested sites:
Magazines and Newspapers
These provide a constant supply of topical pictures in a wide range of styles, color, black and white, photographs, and stylized images. If using ready-made picture stories in the form of cartoon strips and comics, delete any text that appears.
Digital Photos
Now that digital technology has become widespread and accessible, digital photos taken by either the student or the tutor provide a personalized touch and are highly customizable to the context.
Drawing
For those more artistic tutors and students, consider drawing your own pictures.
Pocket Pictures
Last but not least, do not underestimate the power of sketches or stick people on the board or paper. They are accessible, fun, and add another dimension to the usual session!
Don’t limit yourself to worksheets and book activities. When it comes to using pictures during tutoring, you and your student will enjoy a more dynamic time, your preparation time will decrease, and your student’s vocabulary and confidence when speaking will increase. It sounds perfect, doesn't it? Just try it!
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