Drawing to Learn in Science

Emerging research suggests drawing should be explicitly recognized as a key element in science education. Should science learners be challenged to draw more? Certainly making visualizations is integral to scientific thinking. Scientists do not use words only but rely on diagrams, graphs, videos, photographs, and other images to make discoveries, explain findings, and excite public interest. From the notebooks of Faraday and Maxwell ( 1 ) to current professional practices of chemists ( 2 ), scientists imagine new relations, test ideas, and elaborate knowledge through visual representations ( 3 – 5 ).