How children make meaning through drawing and play

Abstract

This article presents studies of 5—6-year-old children in year one in a Norwegian primary school as they develop and engage in drawing-related play within teacher-initiated drawing sessions. The author discusses the quality of the children's play from a semiotic point of view and reflects on play as a possible learning context for drawing. Elevating drawing and play to the same prominent position as images in contemporary texts, she demonstrates how they can be used to support children's competence in interpreting the visual mode as well as using it to convey meaning.

Children’s ‘eye views’ of an archaeological site: A multimodal social semiotic approach to children’s drawings

“…Asking the children to talk or write about their drawings in response to prompts by the researcher would 'invest [their initial] visual narrative with added layers of meaning' (Diamantopoulou 2007: 73) and create new signs. Similarly, complementing our analysis with data arising from other methods, such audio and video recordings of the participants' talk and actions while drawing (Duncan 2013;Hopperstad 2010;Cox 2005;Lancaster 1999)-despite offering an all rounded picture of the multimodal process of drawing-would shift our attention away from the question of 'what are these drawings a sign of?'. Additionally, in line with tenets of multimodal social semiotics, we assign 'trust in the sincerity of their representation' (Mavers 2011: 37) acknowledging children's agency in their selection of the most apt resources for communicating their meanings.…”

“…In order to collect and explore children's experiences and perspectives, a number of researchers experimenting with different creative methodologies in participatory research have turned to drawings (i.e. Anning 2002; Anning and Ring 2004;Hopperstad 2010;Wright 2007;Cox 2005).…”

Conceptualising arts-based learning in the early years

“…Hopperstad argues that drawing in educational settings encourages peer interaction where 'talk about ways of drawing' (136) could be categorised as: planning, naming, explaining, asking questions, seeking help, offering help, narrating, dramatising, associating, evaluating and instructing (136). Hopperstad ( , 2008b) also identifies peer support in the development of drawing skills and solving difficulties in relation to their drawings by asking others 'how I can draw a . .…”

“…(Lin 2010, 109) The focus in this paper is on ways in which the arts can support early learning, and not on the broader dimensions of creativity or creative learning. Developments in Scandinavia (Barratt 2006;Hopperstad , 2008bPramling Samuelsson et al 2009) and in Northern Italy, (ReggioChildren 1995) show how a focus on the arts can enhance children's learning both in the arts and other aspects of their development. The widely acclaimed work of Reggio Emilia has long-demonstrated how an arts-based curriculum and the involvement of experienced artists as well, as teachers, can give rise to many forms and foci of learning in the early years.…”

Multimodal texts in kindergarten rooms

“…In an educational context, the same framework has been used by many researchers, e.g. Kress (2003Kress ( , 2010, in his studies of children's multimodal texts in school, by Hopperstad (2008) and Maagerø (2005) in an analysis of children's drawings, by Jewitt (2003Jewitt ( , 2006, Lancaster (2003), Mavers (2003), and Pahl (2003) in an analysis of multimodal literacy, by Granly (2007), Løvland (2010) and Maagerø (2010) in multimodal approaches to textbooks and Maagerø and Østbye (2012) in an analysis of picture books as multimodal texts. Research on texts on kindergarten and classroom walls (and floors) where this framework has been used is, however, unknown to us.…”