What Does Knowledge Look Like? Drawing as a Means of Knowledge Representation and Knowledge Construction

The most common tools individuals use to articulate complex and abstract concepts are writing and spoken language, long privileged as primary forms of communication. However, our, explanations of these concepts may be more aptly communicated through visual means, such as drawings. Interpreting and analyzing abstract graphic representations is still a challenge within a text-based knowledge culture. This multidisciplinary study tested an existing framework for interpreting and analyzing drawings individuals use to communicate abstract concepts. The selected concept for case study was "knowledge." Participants were asked to draw what they believed "knowledge" looks like. 838 drawings created by respondents aged 5-65, were analyzed. The drawings were examined and coded for graphic types, as identified by Englehardt's [17] graphic classification typology, and graphic objects. Three particular implications for educators interested in using drawing as a tool for explaining complex concepts in multimodal learning emerged: age affects how and which graphic objects are used to visualize concepts, corresponding to an individual's operational development; graphic representations can depict both concrete objects and symbolize abstract concepts at the same time; and drawing is a form of knowledge production that can be used to support learning and further understanding complex or abstract concepts through the production of shared graphic objects and symbols.