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One advantage of doing historical research would be that there are other historians analyzing similar artifacts with whom you can compare notes to confirm your interpretations. On the other hand, because I have different experiences from other researchers, they might interpret the photos differently.

I found it challenging to name norms of society by looking at the photos because I know that the photographer captured a moment in time. I would more confidently be able to make generalizations with more documentation. I have some knowledge of that era which influenced my interpretations. I’m not sure if that would be an advantage or disadvantage because some of it comes from media, like movies, which are not always reality.

I see the advantages of approaching history in the classroom in this way. As it would “make the study of history more personal, more interactive and therefore more interesting.” (Milson & Downey 2001; Grant & VanSledright 2001; Barton, 1997 as cited by Sandwell, 2003, p. 1). A disadvantage of using these documents in the classroom might be that the students miss learning an important piece of information about the time period they’re studying because it isn’t shown in the document. For example, I couldn’t learn about that time period’s economy from the photos but I would’ve been able to had I read about it.

Sandwell, R. (2003). Reading beyond bias: Using historical documents in the secondary classroom. McGill Journal of Education, 38(1), 168-186.