Promoting Conceptual Understanding Through Pictorial Representation

Abstract

A resounding theme heard within the educational community relates to the role of art in the learning process and the transfer of art learning to other school subjects. The ongoing debate is framed around several important conceptual and theoretical issues related to the overall purposes of art education, the need for empirical rather than anecdotal evidence, and arts policy implications (Parsons, 1998b; Siegesmund, 1998; Winner & Hetland, 2000). Recognizing the need for art advocacy, this study focuses on that part of the debate which calls for empirical evidence to substantiate claims based on anecdotal evidence (e.g., Chapman, 1998; Erickson, 1998; Rasmussen, 1998) that art promotes learning in other disciplines. The premise that a specific drawing-based instructional in the regular classroom actually fosters student learning rather than merely serving as a filler activity is investigated within the cognitive model of learning, an approach which considers the learner's cognitive system. Although the research focuses on the effects of a drawing instructional on discrete cognitive processes and subsequent learning in a content area, the intent is not to provide justification for decreasing the presence of art education in the curriculum by shifting art to the content areas. Rather, by examining an isolated descriptive drawing task, this research sought to obtain evidence that would strengthen the discipline's position and enhance its perceived value. Moreover, findings from this body of research may facilitate the collaborative efforts of art specialists and their colleagues to integrate meaningful art activities into the content areas. Art media are utilized frequently outside the art classroom, integrated into other school subjects such as language arts, math, science, and social studies to motivate and extend student involvement. For example, sketching as a for visual response to a literary event is described in Creating Classrooms for Authors and Inquirers (Short, Harste, & Burke, 1996) and Bringing Art into the Elementary Classroom (Koster, 2001). The sketch-to-stretch encourages literature discussion and promotes an appreciation for diversity of response. It functions as a tool for student reflection, enabling readers to carry on a dialogue with themselves and communicate ideas and feelings (Koster, 2001; Whitin, 1996). In Ostrow's (1996) math workshop, some students draw pictures to assist in problem solving. Students learn to draw symbols to represent what they are trying to solve and younger children sometimes use their own drawings to organize their thinking. In addition to words and numbers, students can use pictures to explain their solution (Koster, 2001). In the hallway of an elementary school, it is not uncommon to encounter science projects in which students construct 2-D skeletons from a variety of shapes of pasta or illustrations based on scientific observations as well as drawings from a social studies class depicting a pioneer wagon heading west or timelines and maps. For certain, art projects frequently have been used as supplemental activities to engage students in topical content. Despite the visible presence of art in the regular classroom, these projects are not viewed as promoting learning, however. Drawing and other art activities are not deemed to be valid instructional tools for other subject areas. Art is considered a fun subject, and real learning does not occur within such a context, a perspective which does not view pictorial representation through drawing as basic, as fundamental to learning. To illustrate, Baum, Owen, and Oreck (1997) report that did not perceive integrating arts process into the curriculum as a means to teach content or assess mastery of skills. In fact, when asked, they admitted that they had very little confidence in their abilities to use the arts as an instructional strategy (p. 36). Many teachers use commercially-prepared materials such as stencils, precut shapes, photocopied worksheets, and holiday art, and view these school art activities as authentic and meaningful. …