I tell my students at the beginning of the school year that science is a descriptive discipline. The goal of scientists is to observe phenomena and attempt to accurately communicate what we observe. There is so much beauty in the world that we seldom see because we think they are so commonplace that we seldom notice them.
In order to accurately communicate what we observe, we need to learn how to see things. This is trickier than it sounds. The challenge with viewing is that when we view something, we think we see all the important information right away.
About 50% or more of our brain is dedicated to interpreting visual information. Research has also shown that our brains can discover meaning from visual images in about 13 milliseconds. This is especially true for students who train their brains to focus on visual cues by viewing hundreds of images a day.
But it’s only when we spend a long time consciously observing something that the interesting details of life come to us. That’s why you can look at a particular object a hundred times and still catch new details – your brain filters too much information unless you spend a lot of time staring at it and studying it.
As a science teacher, one of my main goals is to get my students to see all those beautiful and interesting details. I do this by having students draw things and clearly write down what they observe. Drawing things requires students to look at their subject far longer than they are used to. Writing down what they see forces them to consciously acknowledge it. I explain to my students that just as every person is unique, so is every coin, plant, and salt crystal.
The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is accurate because the human brain is amazing at capturing and interpreting visual information. It is the student’s job to capture and share as many details as possible that are not easily seen.
Student Deferrals
Many students initially dislike this activity. Some told me.
“It’s not fair – you’re discriminating against the untalented!”
“I can’t do it, I have astigmatism.”
“It increases my anxiety!”
I always tell my students, “Just do your best,” and the research backs me up: the aesthetic quality of the drawings students make in class has little to do with learning. My students complained about this, but as they became accustomed to drawing as part of their daily routine, they began to notice a change. After a few months of drawing, I heard students tell me things like.
“I thought I had dysgraphia and would never be able to write so clearly!”
“Why do I hate art?”
“I never thought I’d be able to spend 20 minutes focusing on anything, let alone candles!”
More Clarity and Retention
When we try to draw, we understand things more clearly and remember information longer. That’s why I’m a strong proponent of drawing as one of the most important learning tools.
Drawing helps in almost any subject. For my own studies, I find that I can remember more information when I can draw what I am trying to understand. Because it takes time to draw things, my brain spends more time thinking about what I am focusing on. As a result, I increase my intuitive jumps; the longer I look at something, the more connections my brain makes.
While it’s valuable to have students draw their own pictures, new research has found that in some cases, it’s better for students to have a teacher do the drawing. This works primarily when students are dealing with complex science topics.
Some have found ways to memorize and retain large amounts of abstract data. That’s great. But I believe that many people who have trouble understanding and memorizing abstract information should try to find opportunities to draw what they need to know in order to remember it. Many people tell themselves that they can’t understand a concept when, in reality, they are not presenting that information to themselves in a way that their brain can value and understand.
For anyone interested in trying to improve their drawing, or their students’ drawing abilities, I recommend the following tips to get started.
4 Ways to Improve Your Drawing Skills
1. look at the object, not your drawing. If you give your inner critic a chance to judge your work, it will stop you. If you look at the object, your brain will do an amazing job of guiding your hand with minimal effort.
2. Find the geometry of the big picture. Every image can be broken down into basic geometric shapes. When we see this big picture, it is much easier to draw things. For example, to draw a bird, start with a triangular beak and wings, then draw an oval head, eyes, and body.
3. Draw the outline and don’t focus on the details. People often try to draw perfect little details instead of trying to get the gist of the image. It’s like trying to write a perfect sentence when you don’t know what you’re writing about – it doesn’t work because the details only make sense in the overall context of the work.
4. If “drawing” is too intimidating, feel free to “doodle”. Becoming a good artist is not the goal; using our natural gift of sight to clearly see and understand reality is the goal.
If you discover new insights after painting, then by definition, you are an artist! Painting is undoubtedly the best thing I discovered at almost 40 years old – it has helped me tremendously and enriches you no matter when you start.