Who Am I?
These questions, designed as an interview, help turn a student’s attention toward their process of self-authorship. The 30 questions serve as catalysts for bringing attention to each student’s sense of self-awareness by asking questions and seeking answers from within. For the next stage of the exercise the teacher facilitates small group and whole class discussions where students present some of their responses to their peers. Expressing ideas out loud makes students’ thoughts seem more real to them. Plus, it makes them accountable for what they say, while at the same time supporting a growing bond of community within the group of students. As student awareness develops through a variety of exercises and assignments, they would be able to explore subjects, "… that were appropriate and interesting to them, engage in critical thinking about their choices, and develop healthy relationships with diverse others." (Pizzolato, 2008).
1. What is it that interests you about photography? Why?
2. Why are you interested in taking a photography class?
3. Why do you make photographs?
4. If you had to photograph a stranger on the street, what would you say to convince them to let you make the photos?
5. If you could make portraits of anyone in any time period, whom would you photograph? Why?
6. If you could photograph in any location on earth, where would you go?
7. What do you think is your best quality?
How would you make a photograph to communicate something about that quality?
8. You have been recognized as one of the greatest photographers of our time. How would you describe the photographs that made you so famous?
9. You are a superhero whose super-human abilities have to do with photography. Describe how you are able to use photography to defeat super-villains.
10. Choose a thing out of all things would you really like to photograph. What interests you about this thing, its beauty, its complexity, its simplicity, or maybe its sense of taboo? What about the thing are you attracted to?
11. How would you make a photograph that tells the truth?
12. Describe how can you make a photograph that tells a lie.
13. Who do you want to show your photographs to? Who is your audience?
In what way will knowing your audience is effect what you will and won’t photograph?
14. Do you think you see (with your eyes) things differently or about the same as everyone else? In what ways?
15. If you were going to photograph something so you, your children, and your
children’s children will never forget, what would it be?
16. What obstacle do you predict will constantly try to prevent you from excelling in photography?
17. How long do you want your photographic photographs to survive?
18. If you were making a lifelong series of photos, one each day, what would you make photos of?
19. List all the ways you think your body reacts to light.
20. What are 10 things in your life that make you really happy?
21. List ten things that make you really sad.
22. List 10 words that describe you.
23. If the world had a ruler and you could talk to them for one minute, what would you say?
24. If you were just voted in as the ruler of the world, what is the first thing you would tell the earth’s population?
25. What beverage best describes your qualities?
26. If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
27. You desire something deeply and you are so attached to it that you must carry a photograph of it wherever you go. What is the photo of?
28. If photography didn’t exist, what would you do instead to creatively express yourself?
29. How would you define “success” for yourself?
30. What would be the main obstacle to overcome before you could achieve success?
These questions, designed as an interview, help turn a student’s attention toward their process of self-authorship. The 30 questions serve as catalysts for bringing attention to each student’s sense of self-awareness by asking questions and seeking answers from within. For the next stage of the exercise the teacher facilitates small group and whole class discussions where students present some of their responses to their peers. Expressing ideas out loud makes students’ thoughts seem more real to them. Plus, it makes them accountable for what they say, while at the same time supporting a growing bond of community within the group of students. As student awareness develops through a variety of exercises and assignments, they would be able to explore subjects, "… that were appropriate and interesting to them, engage in critical thinking about their choices, and develop healthy relationships with diverse others." (Pizzolato, 2008).
1. What is it that interests you about photography? Why?
2. Why are you interested in taking a photography class?
3. Why do you make photographs?
4. If you had to photograph a stranger on the street, what would you say to convince them to let you make the photos?
5. If you could make portraits of anyone in any time period, whom would you photograph? Why?
6. If you could photograph in any location on earth, where would you go?
7. What do you think is your best quality?
How would you make a photograph to communicate something about that quality?
8. You have been recognized as one of the greatest photographers of our time. How would you describe the photographs that made you so famous?
9. You are a superhero whose super-human abilities have to do with photography. Describe how you are able to use photography to defeat super-villains.
10. Choose a thing out of all things would you really like to photograph. What interests you about this thing, its beauty, its complexity, its simplicity, or maybe its sense of taboo? What about the thing are you attracted to?
11. How would you make a photograph that tells the truth?
12. Describe how can you make a photograph that tells a lie.
13. Who do you want to show your photographs to? Who is your audience?
In what way will knowing your audience is effect what you will and won’t photograph?
14. Do you think you see (with your eyes) things differently or about the same as everyone else? In what ways?
15. If you were going to photograph something so you, your children, and your
children’s children will never forget, what would it be?
16. What obstacle do you predict will constantly try to prevent you from excelling in photography?
17. How long do you want your photographic photographs to survive?
18. If you were making a lifelong series of photos, one each day, what would you make photos of?
19. List all the ways you think your body reacts to light.
20. What are 10 things in your life that make you really happy?
21. List ten things that make you really sad.
22. List 10 words that describe you.
23. If the world had a ruler and you could talk to them for one minute, what would you say?
24. If you were just voted in as the ruler of the world, what is the first thing you would tell the earth’s population?
25. What beverage best describes your qualities?
26. If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
27. You desire something deeply and you are so attached to it that you must carry a photograph of it wherever you go. What is the photo of?
28. If photography didn’t exist, what would you do instead to creatively express yourself?
29. How would you define “success” for yourself?
30. What would be the main obstacle to overcome before you could achieve success?