Finding a Voice - Using low-cost digital video to help children

articulate a sense of self

Finding a Voice - Using low-cost digital video to help children

articulate a sense of self

Planning - defining the research

Deciding on the area of research and defining the research problem or issue.

Why are we doing this?

Digital Video has become cheap and accessible in Primary schools and is therefore being considered

as a viable option

Teachers are unaware of the potential of DV as a creative tool

Teachers are frightened of high-end DV equipment and editing software

Schools cannot afford multiple sets of high-end resources

The researchers are convinced of the potential of DV as a creative toll

and would like to put some academic rigour behind their gut

feelings

Creativity is the latest 'buzz-word' from Government and suddenly it's

an okay thing to do

We know that there are some children whose learning styles

and/or personality make it difficult for them to communicate effectively through 'conventional' means such

as writing

What do we want to find out?

Is digital video an effective way for children to 'find a voice'?

Are there some children who respond to this medium more than

others?

Which kinds of learners respond best to this medium?

Kinesthetic

Is low-cost, child-friendly equipment and editing software 'good enough'

for classroom use?

What do we need to do?

Select a school

Contact the school and explain the project

Meet key staff

Plan project

Talk around generic issues

etc.

Reviewing the field

Reviewing other relevant work in the field - situating yourself, mapping the territory

What's been done already?

Key texts

See bibliography elsewhere

Relevant bodies

Becta

Film Education Council

etc

Methodologies

Deciding on the most appropriate research methodologies, methods or combination of methods

Experimental/Action research

This research involved several participant groups...

The children as film-makers reflected on what they did and also made pre/post activity records of

their learning

Getting the children's perspective on their own approach to learning in

four key areas

Reading

Writing

Making 2/3D

Film-making

Choice of four 'places'

I can do this and I try

I can do this but I don't try

I can't do this but I try

I can't do this and I don't try

The staff in the school

The researchers

Parents

Data collection

Collecting, acquiring, creating research material, information and data

interviews

with participating children

with parents

with involved adults

Head teacher

Class Teacher

Teaching Assistant

questionnaires

Children's matrix

case studies

The elective mute

The most spectacular evidence of a child 'finding a voice' was quite literal: an elective mute spoke

ceaselessly when she was behind the camera lens but in no other

circumstances

participant-observation

Project mentor informal obs

Teacher/Teaching assistant observation

visual thinking

observation

drawing

Storyboarding

storyboarding

photography

video

audio

multimedia

brainstorming

flowcharts, spider diagrams etc

Refining

Refining and reviewing the issues the research is addressing

Technical

Cost

Suitability for purpose

Cost

User-friendliness

Ruggedness

Use of DV as an effective creative tool in schools, especially with

younger children

Documenting the journey

Documenting the journey - visually, in a sketchbook, research diary, reflective journal...

Reflection and evaluation

End product

Synthesising the research into a coherent statement/finished product

Report and website

Children's movies

Dissemination

Communicating and disseminating the research

Summary