Reimagining Educational Possibilities: A Photovoice Exploration of Community Curriculum—A Call to Action

• In Event: Actionizing Change With Photo and STEM Narratives From Africa and the Caribbean

Abstract

The adage, “Home is where the heart is” reflects the belief that where one resides is significant to one’s emotional state and ultimately one’s general wellbeing. Therefore, a person’s residence is critical to their learning experiences. Students’ experiences in the communities that they reside create epistemologies, indigenous to their community and represent legitimate knowledge for students. This study uses photovoice methodology and the concept of community curriculum to explore the learning experiences of students residing in a remote rural community in Jamaica. Implications include redefining the role of the teacher as validator and interrogator of community knowledge, re-examination of the conveyors of knowledge within the community, and reimagining the community as a legitimate site for knowledge production.

Author

• Shereca Shelly-Ann McGowan-Hunter, University of the West Indies - Mona