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Sharpening the gaze, sharpening the pencil: supporting observational drawing in primary education.

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Title: Sharpening the gaze, sharpening the pencil: supporting observational drawing in primary education.
Authors: Skoog, Marianne1 (AUTHOR), Areljung, Sofie2 (AUTHOR) sofie.areljung@umu.se, Andersson, Johanna3 (AUTHOR), Hermansson, Carina4 (AUTHOR), Sundberg, Bodil5 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Biological Education (Taylor & Francis Ltd). Feb2026, Vol. 60 Issue 1, p46-59. 14p.
Subject Terms: *Primary education, *Drawing instruction, *Aesthetic judgment, *Student engagement, *Biology students, *Collaborative learning, *Teaching methods, *Mentoring in education
Abstract: This article explores how teachers can support students' observational drawing skills in the biology classroom. The article is based on classroom data from a collaborative project involving primary school teachers, arts educators, and researchers. Together, we have planned and implemented classroom interventions, aiming to contribute knowledge about the pedagogical potentials of drawing in science. In this article, we analyse one teacher's way of teaching observational drawing to 8-year-old students. Our analysis reveals two main teaching emphases: (1) the interplay between observing and drawing and (2) the visual characteristics of natural objects, particularly the shape, colour, and specific details of different species. Our findings provide valuable insights for educators who seek to integrate observational drawing into science education. First, we highlight the significance of the teacher's content knowledge in biology, as it corresponds to the ability to guide students' attention to specific details in natural objects. Second, we show the pedagogical potential of providing explicit feedback during the drawing process in terms of encouraging students to make detailed and realistic drawings while also making them visually engaging. Lastly, we show that the teacher makes use of verbal, bodily, and visual resources to create a collaborative space for communication around student drawings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Database: Energy & Power Source
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DbLabel: Energy & Power Source
An: 191070550
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
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  Data: Sharpening the gaze, sharpening the pencil: supporting observational drawing in primary education.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Biological+Education+%28Taylor+%26+Francis+Ltd%29%22">Journal of Biological Education (Taylor & Francis Ltd)</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 60 Issue 1, p46-59. 14p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Primary+education%22">Primary education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Drawing+instruction%22">Drawing instruction</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Aesthetic+judgment%22">Aesthetic judgment</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+engagement%22">Student engagement</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biology+students%22">Biology students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Collaborative+learning%22">Collaborative learning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+methods%22">Teaching methods</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mentoring+in+education%22">Mentoring in education</searchLink>
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  Data: This article explores how teachers can support students' observational drawing skills in the biology classroom. The article is based on classroom data from a collaborative project involving primary school teachers, arts educators, and researchers. Together, we have planned and implemented classroom interventions, aiming to contribute knowledge about the pedagogical potentials of drawing in science. In this article, we analyse one teacher's way of teaching observational drawing to 8-year-old students. Our analysis reveals two main teaching emphases: (1) the interplay between observing and drawing and (2) the visual characteristics of natural objects, particularly the shape, colour, and specific details of different species. Our findings provide valuable insights for educators who seek to integrate observational drawing into science education. First, we highlight the significance of the teacher's content knowledge in biology, as it corresponds to the ability to guide students' attention to specific details in natural objects. Second, we show the pedagogical potential of providing explicit feedback during the drawing process in terms of encouraging students to make detailed and realistic drawings while also making them visually engaging. Lastly, we show that the teacher makes use of verbal, bodily, and visual resources to create a collaborative space for communication around student drawings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=enr&AN=191070550
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/00219266.2025.2452188
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 14
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      – SubjectFull: Primary education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Drawing instruction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Aesthetic judgment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student engagement
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      – SubjectFull: Collaborative learning
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      – SubjectFull: Teaching methods
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      – SubjectFull: Mentoring in education
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      – TitleFull: Sharpening the gaze, sharpening the pencil: supporting observational drawing in primary education.
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            NameFull: Skoog, Marianne
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            NameFull: Areljung, Sofie
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            NameFull: Andersson, Johanna
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              Text: Feb2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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