Probing the Paradox: Illuminating the Ecology of Education Through Portraiture

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 11

Session Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

This symposium intends to probe the use of portraiture as a method for documenting and exploring the ecology of education (Lightfoot-Lawrence & Davis, 1997). The intention of the session is to demonstrate how portraiture can help shine light on the paradox that schools are perceived as drivers of hope and mobility, while simultaneously being pathologized as failing institutions. Panelists will share empirical, theoretical and methodological insights from research on diverse topics, including early childhood learning, young artists, Black out-migration from urban centers, parent-teacher relationships and immigrant mothers. With ample time allocated for discussion, this session provides an important opportunity to co-construct the particular affordances, tensions and opportunities of portraiture as a means of inquiry in educational research.

Sub Unit

• Division G - Social Context of Education / Division G - Section 5: Inquiry, Transformation, and Communities

Chairs

• Sarah Bruhn, Harvard University

• Raquel Jimenez, Harvard University

Papers

• Putting Theory in Context: Insights From Portraits of Learning and Teaching in Early Childhood - Maleka Donaldson, Smith College

• A Portrait of Production: Understanding Efforts to Educate a New Generation of Citizen-Artists - Raquel Jimenez, Harvard University

• "We Make the Road by Walking": Understanding and Cultivating Relationships Through the Use of Portraiture in Examining Parent-Teacher Relationships - Soo Hong, Wellesley College

• Being in Relation: Blurred Boundaries Between Mothering and Researching - Sarah Bruhn, Harvard University

• The Transformative Power of Bearing Witness: A Portrait of One Teacher Education Class's Healing and Humanization Through Talking Circles - Sherry Lynn Deckman, Lehman College, CUNY

Discussant

• Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández, OISE/University of Toronto