Case Study: Student-Led Learning
It all started with a “What if?”
Rafael “Rafe” Barretto is a 24-year-old international student from Brazil. Very early on, he showed an innate talent for bringing his creativity to life. He can move from idea to execution faster than any student I’ve ever worked with.
I’m convinced Rafe was born in the wrong era.
He has such an affinity for film photography, VHS, synth, and anything with a certain texture that makes it feel real.
As part of a recent student-led project initiative in our Portfolio course, Rafe pitched the idea of exploring visual metaphor through what he called a “Fortune Walk”. The idea was akin to a photo scavenger hunt, but what we’d be seeking would be based on messages we found inside of fortune cookies.
Rafe put out an open invitation and 7 students, 5 faculty, and 1 alum showed up. I also brought my 11 year-old niece, Iryss. We were a motley crew that assembled late one Sunday afternoon in downtown Orlando.
Armed with film cameras, DSLRs, and iPhones, we meandered as a group down main streets and alleyways. If anyone needed help with a camera setting or composing a shot or a possible interpretation of the fortune they received, faculty and students stepped in to help each other.
For me, this was a particularly inspiring exercise, not just creatively but to get to have the experience with my niece. Ever since she was little, I’ve told her that Auntie Em doesn’t give gifts, she gives experiences.
The entire experience was student-led yet how amazing that so many faculty showed up too! Beyond exploring visual metaphor and becoming more familiar with our gear, the day brought with it an opportunity to build an even stronger learning community outside the classroom.
Having Iryss along for the day was the cherry on top and it was something I would have never gotten to experience if it weren’t for Rafe and his what-ifs.
The following images are a collection of diptychs made by pairing the images I took with my Sony a7S and those that Iryss took on an iPhone 8.
