The Role of Drawing in Young Children’s Construction of Science Concepts
Ni Chang
Synopsis:
From a very young age children express themselves through drawing, so allowing the students to draw will grab their interests as well as build understandings of certain concepts. Younger children are able to give details about different animals’, insects’ or plants’ characteristics easier when they are able to create drawings. They are also able to compare and contrast their own drawings to determine differences among these living organisms. These drawings can also be used as an assessment tool in order to gauge student understanding and plan for future instruction. The pictures could also serve as pre and post assessments to determine the amount of information the child gained throughout the course of the unit/lesson/activity. Along with the student’s drawings, it is also important to involve the student in a discussion regarding their picture because this will aid in the speaking and listening skills as well as overall language development. Allowing the children to draw what they are thinking before having to speak about it allows the child to organize the information they have in their head.
Change, N. (2012). The rold of drawing in young children's construction of science concepts. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.kennesaw.edu/docview/1008895426/fulltextPDF/13F49AC3C1F7990694E/55?accountid=11824
Reflection:
I think this is a great way to allow students to express themselves for not only the younger grades, but for the older elementary grades as well. The majority of Science concepts can be expressed with a drawing, so why not allow the students to show what they know or have learned in a manner that is enjoyable to them. I have never thought about using drawings as a way of pre and post assessing a student on specific information- that is an excellent idea! I know from a personal stand point sometimes I need to write things down in a graphic organizer format and even sometimes in picture form in order to organize my own thoughts in order to express my thoughts in a verbal format. So, I completely agree that allowing students to first draw a picture to convey their understanding will allow for a smoother relay of the verbal information. Student drawings also give the students a visual connection to all of the facts they have in their heads and it will stick with the students more than just learning the facts. Drawing within Science to express different content is something I am definitely going to try this upcoming year because I believe it will help my students to absorb the information.
Allowing students to create illustrations to show their understanding of a concept is a great assessment tool. Some students may not be able to explain something, but they can draw it easier. Most students love to draw so this is a great way to use their interests to help in teaching. When I taught 2nd grade, if students finished a task early, I would have them create an illustration of whatever we were working on. It was a great early finisher activity that kept them occupied and allowed them to explore a topic more.
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