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The International Language Institute of Massachusetts (ILI) promotes intercultural understanding and diverse communities by providing high-quality language instruction and teacher training.

You are here: Home / News / Teaching English Through A Photographic Lens

October 5, 2020

Teaching English Through A Photographic Lens

https://ili.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Teaching-English-Through-a-Photographic-Lens.mp4

The third page of Emma Symanski’s new book, Teaching English Through A Photographic Lens, reads, “This book is dedicated to English Language Learners”.

Emma Symanski graduated from Hampshire College in 2020 with a BA in Photography and Spanish. During her time in school, she also received the World Learning’s SIT TESOL Certificate from the International Language Institute of Massachusetts.

For her Division III independent study project at Hampshire College, Emma Symanski designed and taught a class for English Language Learners using photography as the main teaching tool. Faced with the realities of the pandemic, Emma’s Hampshire College Division III project, originally planned to be a 10-week course followed by a gallery show, had to pivot. Emma wasn’t able to teach the last two sessions of her course and out of her re-imagination for the final result, came this book.

The project is marked by a deep understanding Emma was able to gain through the interviews and stunning photographs she took of English Language Learners she was working with. Through Emma’s work towards a curriculum that delves deep below the surface and her personal interactions with the English Language Learners she creates a sense of understanding between a teacher and a student. Teaching English Through a Photographic Lens is a story about how art and language can unify a community while still allowing differences to be celebrated. She credits her community and the students involved in this project to what led to this finished product.

When it comes to the project, Emma’s students had great things to say about this experience.

“More than photography, I learned many interesting things. Emma is a great woman, photographer, and teacher, who with just one photo may transmit all her beautiful energy and wisdom to you.” -Annie Castaño

“I learned a lot about photography vocabulary and different photography types and styles, which allowed me to discover what my favorite styles are. It was super fun to print pictures in the lab at Hampshire college and learn about Photoshop. I appreciate the practical activities that we did. Since the classes, I know more about what is essential at the time of taking pictures, how I can develop different styles, and the ways that other people understand photography.” -Lilian Araya Ortiz

Congratulations Emma, we are so proud of your work and we are thrilled to have worked with you!

To support Emma’s work as well as read more about her approach and the work of her students, you can purchase her book here.

Emma is also open to a pay as you can model for her book, as accessibility is extremely important to her work. If you would like to discuss this model of payment, you can email ers17@hampshire.edu.

Article by ILI Staff / News

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Students in ILI’s Intensive English Program visi Students in ILI’s Intensive English Program visited the Northampton Police station yesterday. Students asked Officer Lauren Bolduc questions about topics from animal control to traffic to violent crime to the job of a cop. The tour took us to every corner of the station from the detention center to the evidence room to Chief Jody D. Kasper in her office. Thanks NPD for an unforgettable experience. ⭐️

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #massachusetts #northampton #northamptonpd @northamptonmapd #studentlife #iep #intensiveenglishprogram #english #languagelearning #community #ialc #ialcschools
Congratulations to new U.S. citizen Ayça! ✨ Ori Congratulations to new U.S. citizen Ayça! ✨ Originally from Turkey, Ayça studied with us in 2016 and then received a Master’s in Communications and Information Management at @bay_path (ILI university pathway partner). Now she is Director of Marketing and Communications at the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley. 

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #congratulations #studentlife #congratulations #citizenship #northampton
“Music is the universal language of mankind.” “Music is the universal language of mankind.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

ILI English and French instructor, Josh Owsley is also a musician! He will be playing bass with @landownerband tonight at @thedrakeamherst . 🎶Hope to see you there!

📸Photo by @vagabundodeltiempo 

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #massachusetts #northampton #landowner #livemusic #teacherfeature #thedrakeamherst  #community
Congratulations 🎉 to our graduates  Jeffrey ( Congratulations 🎉 to our graduates  Jeffrey (Peru), Azhar (Kazakhstan), Ruveyda (Turkey), Andrei (Russia) and Yasemin (Turkey). Every month we have an international potluck to celebrate our graduates. You might have seen Azhar’s cakes before, but the cake that she made, as you will say, is truly over the top! We are sad to say goodbye to the students, but excited about the next steps that they will be taking in their lives.

Cake by @_azhar_bakery 

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #massachusetts #northampton #studentlife #azharbakery #potluck #education #internationalstudents #ialc #ialclanguages
“We must risk everything for the raw recipe of o “We must risk everything for the raw recipe of our passion” 

We had such an engaging afternoon at @parlorroommusic with ILI Board Member + former president of @gccgreenfield Bob Pura. Bob led a reading and discussion of his new book The Community’s College: The Pursuit of Democracy, Economic Development, and Success, which he co-wrote with Dr. Tara L. Parker. Audience members also got the chance to learn more about the process behind the creation of the book. 

Thank you for joining us! 📚

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #massachusetts #bobpura #authorevent #reading #discussion #communitycollege #thecommunityscollege #northampton
Today Bob Pura and Tara Parker read from and lead Today Bob Pura and Tara Parker read from and lead a discussion of their book The Community’s College: The Pursuit of Democracy, Economic Development, and Success! 📚 Join us at @parlorroommusic at 2pm. 

In their book, The Community’s College: The Pursuit of Democracy, Economic Development, and Success, co-authors Dr. Robert L. Pura and Dr. Tara L. Parker explore the extraordinary impact of this country’s community colleges on people, communities, and our democratic traditions.

As the book’s foreword by Lynn Pasquerella, President of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, states: "[T]he analysis offered by Dr. Pura and Dr. Parker unveils how community colleges—distinctively American institutions—are more essential than ever to fulfilling our nation's historic mission of educating for democracy."

Pura, a member of the ILI board of directors, retired in 2018 as president of Greenfield Community College after 17+ years in that position. Parker is the recently appointed Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at UMass Boston.
 
#thecommunityscollege #authorevent #ili #bobpura #taraparker #theparlorroom #northampton #community
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