Drawings

Teachers can learn a great deal about a drawing by simply looking at and analysing it. It’s possible to see children use drawing as a tool to understand their lives and what has happened and use these markings to extrapolate deeper meaning from what they are saying in their conversations with other children. It sometimes seems that the purpose of the drawing is not to be found in the drawing itself but is found somewhere else. There is also social talk, which is talk not related to the drawings, but exists only for the sake of companionship (Coates & Coates, 2006, p. 229; Cox, 2005, p. 120; Johanna Einarsdottir et al., 2009, p. 219). By contrast, when drawing itself is the primary goal, children put effort into rendering a realistic depiction of their subject.