By: Mary Ann Cozza

Last week, associate professor of urban education Leigh Van Horn hosted a Teacher Night at Literacy Through Photography, an education program created by FotoFest International to help students in grades 3-12 strengthen basic learning skills, particularly writing and critical thinking skills.

Participants were asked to bring photographs of family life, activities, and/or artifacts of family in order to begin the process of writing family memoirs. According to LTP, "family memoirs focus on the activities and experiences of individuals or groups within a family. In other words, a family memoir can be a collection of short stories or vignettes about your life or the lives of those in your family. The family memoir is all the more meaningful when it utilizes both image and text."

Van Horn is active with LTP and specializes in literacy and urban education. Her research and teaching focus on enhancing understanding and empowerment through authentic literacy experiences. For more information, contact Van Horn at vanhornl@uhd.edu.