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How To Boost Student Engagement Through the Art of Drawing

Raise your hand if you've ever had a student ask if they could draw a picture after they completed their assignment. You know you raised your hand!

Why Draw?

Honestly, why not? Have you ever wanted to do something relaxing after a mentally exhausting hour or two? Our students feel the exact same way. If a students asks to draw, I say go for it!

How Can We Make a Connection With the Work?

This is actually pretty simple (and can be used in any subject, truly)! After a student works on a math problem, allow them to draw a picture. Sometimes in math, drawing a picture after reading a word problem is the safest way to go. It allows the students to visualize what the question is asking. It also gives you, the teacher, an idea of what the student is thinking when they read word problems. I call that a win/win.

The same technique can be applied in writing. After a student has written a short story, allow them to illustrate what they have wrote. It gives them a sense of ownership, as well as allowing them to rethink the details of their masterpiece.

I even have students illustrate their writing in science lessons, like putting themselves in the place of the subject provided. For example, in the picture below, students were assigned specific constellations. They had to read quick facts about the constellation, write a short story about what life would be like if they were that constellation, and then illustrate what they wrote. This was an all-around fun activity to support both writing and science.

What Next?

What are you waiting for?! Tell me what you think about drawing to accompany meaningful lessons. What could your students draw next?

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Comments

3 Responses

    1. Absolutely! Sometimes it can seem like it takes up a lot of time, but I’ve been able to allow students who get bored of just ‘plain’ reading to tap into a whole other side of learning and discovery.

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