Open Collections

Dennis, Esther Lenore

This eight week study supports the view that literacy learning is multimodal and it contributes to existing research (Dyson, 1986: Hubbard, 1989: Olshansky, 2006: Skupa, 1985) on the "Communicability of drawing and writing as vehicles through which children make and share meaning" (Leigh & Heid, 2008, p.1). Focused on using visual art, specifically drawing, in the planning stages before and during the writing process, this study was conducted to explore if there is a value in privileging the role of drawing to improve children's writing stamina and idea generation. The subjects were 17 grade two and three students in an elementary classroom. Data collected consisted of teacher observational notes, conferences with children, a survey, and portfolios of the children's writing and drawing. Patterns and themes were identified, relating to their (a) use of drawing as a pre-writing or planning strategy, (b) use of drawing to overcome writer's block and reducing cognitive demands, (c) drawings as idea banks, (d) affective responses to drawing and writing, (e) recursive use of writing and drawing, and (f) embedding of writing in drawings. On the basis of these patterns, inferences were made about written language development and the power in children's use of art, specifically drawing, when it is valued as a conduit for understanding how children construct meaning. It was concluded that drawing, before and during the writing process, at least in terms of the generation of ideas and children's stamina for writing tasks, is an effective form of planning for writing. Given the very diversity in personal learning styles, and ways of knowing, there is a real benefit for children to approach the writing process using alternative modes of representation.

Graduating Project

eng

2014-07-29

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/48546

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/