Drawing as a Unique Mental Development Tool for Young Children: interpersonal and intrapersonal dialogues

Abstract

Using examples from children drawing in a year one classroom, this article examines firstly, how drawing operates as a unique mental tool, and secondly, the role of drawing in the construction and development of knowledge. Young children utilize prior knowledge and experience to negotiate and construct meaning through their interactions with people and artifacts in the learning community. Using a Vygotskian, social constructionist framework, a detailed analysis of interpersonal drawing dialogues is extended to include children's intrapersonal dialogic engagement with their drawing. When these children were encouraged to revisit, revise and dialogue through and with their drawing, they were able to explore and represent increasingly complex ideas.