Design and Technology
Drawing into the Future ‘A picture tells 1000 words’ is a familiar comment. Year 7 Technology students first introductory experience is the opportunity to develop their drawing skills. This is the most effective and time efficient tool for design communication. Technology students are ‘immersed’ in a sequence of drawing activities to begin their year which seeks to promote their confidence and capacity to communicate graphically. This work is done with pencil and paper for its tactility, and students are encouraged to not erase lines, but rather see their improvement evolve with repeated practice. This is an important skill in the process of inquiry and applied persistence. Research studies identify the following benefits of graphically representing an idea: • The retention of knowledge and improved memory recall • Clarification of thinking through stages of iteration • Reduced subjectivity in the communication of ideas • Improved collaboration due to visual communication • Improved efficiency through interpreting new ideas The science of drawing reveals that students process information in multiple ways: visually, kinaesthetically, and semantically. Actively drawing engages students to grapple with what they are learning and reconstruct it in a way that makes sense to them - effectively encoding this information in memory.
When we draw, we encode memory in very rich ways, layering together the visual memory of the image, the kinaesthetic memory of our hand drawing the image, and the semantic memory that is invoked by engaging in meaning making. This process effectively increases the likelihood that the concept being drawn will be retained for later recall. The benefits of drawing are independent of students’ artistic talent and it is equally effective for people who may not have any artistic inclination. Developing and promoting confident sketching experiences for Year 7 students opens up opportunity for learners to have the facility to move into what is termed ‘sketch noting,’ that is active notetaking using annotation, sketches and diagrammatic representations. This will powerfully enhance learning throughout their secondary years and perhaps most importantly across the Barker curriculum. Retaining the hands-on rigorous development of skills such as writing and drawing in combination with new digital tools such as the stylus and touch tablet devices, opens up the many opportunities presented to us through digital integration. The takeaway: Encourage students to draw. This promotes learning through improving recall and challenging students to explore an idea in different ways to consolidate meaning and understanding. John Dennison Design & Technology Teacher
22 • The Barker • Issue 130 • Autumn 2021
