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  • OUTLOOK

Drawn to science

Teachers do not need training in the arts to create useful drawing experiences for science students, says Bethann Garramon Merkle.
  1. Bethann Garramon Merkle

    1. Bethann Garramon Merkle is an illustrator and researcher at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. She has consulted on the implementation of incorporating drawing as a teaching method in science classrooms throughout North America.

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People think in images. Indeed, archaeological records show that drawing was the first means of visual representation (see go.nature.com/2qfxe7h). The lines and dots of the earliest rock art — some 64,000 years old — indicate conceptual, creative thinking. Cave engravings in France depict well-proportioned, figurative observations of wildlife made some 26,000–38,000 years ago. Today, images remain powerful tools for learning, documenting and facilitating thinking. Taking notes by hand1, or even doodling, results in better retention of information and higher intellectual engagement with the material than does typing on a laptop. Fundamentally, creativity is a whole-brain process, and artists and scientists use the same parts of their brains to do complex, creative tasks2. Ensuring that students understand the value of drawing can help motivate them to draw.

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Nature 562, S8-S9 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-06832-0

This article is part of Nature Outlook: Science and technology education, an editorially independent supplement produced with the financial support of third parties. About this content.

References

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