The FotoDialogo Method: Using Pictures and Storytelling as Learning Tools

My experiences as both artist and educator in the international development field have shown that the arts are powerful instruments in the learning process, especially in development settings, where alternative means of communication can make up for participants' low literacy levels. As educators, we may look at the arts as tools that we use in the meaning-making process of teaching and learning; as artists, we make the tools that educators and learners use to build knowledge. It was with this idea in mind that I developed the FotoDialogo Method as a new research and education tool in which the arts and social inquiry merge. The FotoDialogo Method is a research tool aimed at building dialogue among culturally diverse groups, and examining individuals’ perceptions of social reality through the use of drawings. In the FotoDialogo method, the process begins with the unveiling of significant themes as described in interviews and conversations with participants. Then, based on these themes, the researcher prepares a series of pictures and uses them to initiate dialogues, inspire participants to tell their stories, and analyze the interconnections between their experiences and the sociocultural context where they live. The FotoDialogo draws from Paulo Freire’s adult literacy method. As one of the most prominent thinkers in the field of education and social change movements, Freire collaborated with artists in his literacy campaigns in Brazil, and in his development work in Africa and other Latin American countries. The use of what Freire called "codifications" introduced a new perspective on teaching and learning through the use of media—including games, pictures, literature, theater, and folk art—that help learners reflect upon projections of their living situations in order "to read the word and the world," as Freire says, by critically analyzing the new situations presented to them. The results of this study indicate that the FotoDialogo Method could be a powerful strategy for low-literacy level groups and minority women to break silence about their particular experiences of oppression. The use of pictures and storytelling not only entices the unveiling of personal histories, it also provides an appropriate atmosphere for the sharing of collective experiences.