Drawing to Learn Science: Legacies of Agassiz

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 2007

Drawing to Learn Science: Legacies of Agassiz

Neal Lerner Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Abstract

The use of visual representation to learn science can be traced to Louis Agassiz, Harvard Professor of Zoology, in the mid-19th century. In Agassiz's approach, students were to study nature through carefully observing, drawing and then thinking about what the observations might add up to. However, implementation of Agassiz's student-centered approach has struggled with the conflict between science as a form of developing “mental discipline” in which mastery of scientific facts is the goal and science learning as a socially situated activity with an emphasis on the process of learning, not merely its products. Present-day attempts to have students draw to learn science often succumb to these same conflicts, limiting their full realization.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 2007-10-01
DOI: 10.2190/w478-m151-4425-gp03
Open Access: Closed
Topics: race and writing

Citation Context

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