Enhancing talk with visual representations to understand children’s ideas about celestial phenomena

Abstract

This article provides a snapshot of assessment for learning in action. It introduces the drawings made by children who had been studying “Planet Earth and Beyond”—Matariki as a context in science in a New Zealand primary school. The visual data are drawn from the Te Ao Hurihuri project (The Changing World) in which students were offered structured opportunities to represent their thinking with visual constructions. The wide range of constructions created by the students, as well as their associated talk, provided teachers with an effective way of checking on developing conceptual knowledge and understanding. Students became partners with their teachers, sharing power and responsibility for their learning and assessment. Such a partnership has the potential to assist teachers to navigate possible learning trajectories and next steps for the students.