Why and how teachers make use of drawing activities in early childhood science education

Abstract

Researchers have provided many arguments for why drawing may contribute to science learning. However, little is known about how teachers in early childhood education (ECE) make use of drawing for science learning purposes. This article examines how teachers' views and framing of drawing activities influence the science learning opportunities afforded to children in the activities. We use activity theory to analyse teacher interviews and observation data from ten science classrooms (children aged 3-8 years) where drawing activities occurred. The interviews reveal that few of the teachers relate drawing to science learning specifically. Rather, they portray drawing as a component of variation in teaching and learning in general. Looking at what happens in the classrooms, we conclude that drawing has a relatively weak position as means of communicating and learning science. Instead, the teaching emphasis is on writing or on 'making a product'. However, there are examples where teachers explicitly use drawing for science learning purposes. These teachers are the same few who, in interviews, relate drawing to science learning specifically. Based on these findings, we encourage school teachers, teacher educators, and researchers to identify, and overcome,obstacles to realising the pedagogical potentials of drawing in ECE science classrooms.

Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers’ Readiness for Using Drawing as a Science Teaching Strategy

“…In respect to the drawing strategy, several studies have analysed the use of drawings related to teachers' beliefs and practice. Areljung et al (2021a) have examined 45 science class sessions of 11 early childhood and primary school teachers in Sweden, focusing on the 15 sessions in which the children drew pictures. These researchers have found that the teachers' beliefs about the role of drawing in science learning seems to be a key factor in enabling children to benefit from the pedagogical potential of drawing for learning science.…”

“…With respect to the other dimensions, all PSTs were aware of the usefulness of drawing as a teaching strategy and almost all of them were aware of its importance. These overall positive beliefs could have a beneficial effect on teachers' practice (Areljung et al, 2021a;Vartuli, 2005). Regarding confidence, in contrast, only one quarter of the PSTs showed a high level of confidence.…”

“…The use of drawings for science learning brings multiple benefits for the students not only in terms of visual skills (García Fernández & Ruiz-Gallardo, 2017), but also in the development of communication, modelling, and reasoning skills (Ainsworth et al, 2011). Few studies have focused on the teacher's role in the use of drawings in science teaching (Areljung et al, 2021a;Areljung et al, 2021b;Monteira et al, 2022), even though the teacher is the key factor for the success or failure of putting any curricular innovation into practice (Mitchener & Anderson, 1989;Tobin et al, 1994). According to the literature, teachers should know how to draw scientific phenomena (Wilson & Bradbury, 2016); and they should be aware of and value the importance of drawing in science education (Areljung et al, 2021a).…”

“…Few studies have focused on the teacher's role in the use of drawings in science teaching (Areljung et al, 2021a;Areljung et al, 2021b;Monteira et al, 2022), even though the teacher is the key factor for the success or failure of putting any curricular innovation into practice (Mitchener & Anderson, 1989;Tobin et al, 1994). According to the literature, teachers should know how to draw scientific phenomena (Wilson & Bradbury, 2016); and they should be aware of and value the importance of drawing in science education (Areljung et al, 2021a). Moreover, given that the deployment of strategies in class depends, to a large extent, on the degree of the teacher's confidence (Garbett, 2003;Holroyd & Harlen, 1996), teachers will need to develop not only the ability to draw pictures about scientific phenomena, but also their confidence in that ability, and, in that way, acquire the view that drawings are useful strategies for learning science.…”

Improving Children's Creativity Abilities Through Drawing Activities in Kindergarten

“…Drawing enables children to channel various kinds of their imaginations that are expressed into drawings; from their drawings can be known the level of creativity and mood of each child (Papadopoulos, 2020). According to Areljung et al (2021), the steps in the drawing are: a) the teacher prepares everything that will be used in the drawing, both the tools and materials; b) The teacher gives an explanation of the activities to be carried out; c) Then the teacher gives opportunities to students in carrying out drawing activities; d) The teacher in supervising the protégé should not command or arrange the drawings made by the protégé; e) Children are given the freedom to express themselves by using materials that the teacher has prepared; f) After the specified time is over, the teacher collects the drawings of the students followed by a question and answer about the drawings that have been made. This research was carried out to see the improvement of children's creative abilities by providing children with drawing activities so that it can be a solution to problems in developing children's creativity in kindergarten.…”