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K. Emblen-Perry
Traditionally, students’ recognition of learning within EfS has relied on tutors’
formative feedback and assessment grades. However, relying on students to act on
their formative and post assessment feedback means that by the time tutors realise
students have fallen behind or have misunderstood the complex interrelated topics
of sustainability it is frequently too late for them to catch up (Webb 2020). Drawing
sustainability as an in-class reflexive and self-analytical learning activity may therefore offer an alternative approach for both tutors to know what students know (i.e.
benchmarking learners’ knowledge) and for students to know what they know (i.e.
learning recognition through a judgement of self-knowledge).
In this study, drawing sustainability is defined as by the author as ‘an activity that
engages students in a process of visually representing an understanding of the topic
of sustainability to produce a pictorial output’. The drawings, which are the pictorial
output of the activity, are not subject to content analysis in this study, rather they are
used as indicators of knowledge and learning. Drawings can demonstrate the extent
of students’ knowledge through the number of different elements of sustainability
included.
The idea for incorporating drawing sustainability to promote students’ recognition
of learning emerged from the combination of three influences: firstly, the author’s
preference for creative and visual thinking and belief that having fun will support
deeper learning, secondly literature that stresses the importance of students recognising their own learning and thirdly, a conference presentation highlighting the use of
ecological hand printing to engage students in alternative ways of thinking. Together
these suggested that drawing could be a potential way to encourage students to participate in reflection, peer-to-peer learning, and self-analytical learning, which may
positively influence learning motivation, (Schunk and DiBenedetto 2016), enhance
learning recognition and develop self-efficacy and confidence by making thinking
visible (Vygotsky 1978).
This paper explores the value of encouraging students to recognise their learning
through drawing sustainability. The activity of drawing sustainability is described
in detail to enable it to be implemented by those seeking innovative approaches to
learning recognition within EfS. The effectiveness of the activity is then presented
and its’ potential impacts on students and tutors reflected upon. This analysis and
reflection incorporate students’ drawings and the students’ voice, through examples
of post-activity feedback, to illustrate the outcomes of the activity. The study finds
that whilst supporting students’ recognition of learning to enable them to they know
what they know, drawing sustainability may also promote higher order cognitive
skills and encourage students to relate personal sustainability practices to society
and the environment, all of which are key skills and behaviours required to promote
sustainable futures and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
This study will be of interest to EfS practitioners seeking innovative means and
methods of active learning that enable them to benchmark students’ learning and
help students to develop a conscious recognition of their own sustainability knowledge skills and values. The study also builds on existing pedagogic discourse on
the importance of learning recognition and contributes to research into innovative
K. Emblen-Perry
Traditionally, students’ recognition of learning within EfS has relied on tutors’
formative feedback and assessment grades. However, relying on students to act on
their formative and post assessment feedback means that by the time tutors realise
students have fallen behind or have misunderstood the complex interrelated topics
of sustainability it is frequently too late for them to catch up (Webb 2020). Drawing
sustainability as an in-class reflexive and self-analytical learning activity may therefore offer an alternative approach for both tutors to know what students know (i.e.
benchmarking learners’ knowledge) and for students to know what they know (i.e.
learning recognition through a judgement of self-knowledge).
In this study, drawing sustainability is defined as by the author as ‘an activity that
engages students in a process of visually representing an understanding of the topic
of sustainability to produce a pictorial output’. The drawings, which are the pictorial
output of the activity, are not subject to content analysis in this study, rather they are
used as indicators of knowledge and learning. Drawings can demonstrate the extent
of students’ knowledge through the number of different elements of sustainability
included.
The idea for incorporating drawing sustainability to promote students’ recognition
of learning emerged from the combination of three influences: firstly, the author’s
preference for creative and visual thinking and belief that having fun will support
deeper learning, secondly literature that stresses the importance of students recognising their own learning and thirdly, a conference presentation highlighting the use of
ecological hand printing to engage students in alternative ways of thinking. Together
these suggested that drawing could be a potential way to encourage students to participate in reflection, peer-to-peer learning, and self-analytical learning, which may
positively influence learning motivation, (Schunk and DiBenedetto 2016), enhance
learning recognition and develop self-efficacy and confidence by making thinking
visible (Vygotsky 1978).
This paper explores the value of encouraging students to recognise their learning
through drawing sustainability. The activity of drawing sustainability is described
in detail to enable it to be implemented by those seeking innovative approaches to
learning recognition within EfS. The effectiveness of the activity is then presented
and its’ potential impacts on students and tutors reflected upon. This analysis and
reflection incorporate students’ drawings and the students’ voice, through examples
of post-activity feedback, to illustrate the outcomes of the activity. The study finds
that whilst supporting students’ recognition of learning to enable them to they know
what they know, drawing sustainability may also promote higher order cognitive
skills and encourage students to relate personal sustainability practices to society
and the environment, all of which are key skills and behaviours required to promote
sustainable futures and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
This study will be of interest to EfS practitioners seeking innovative means and
methods of active learning that enable them to benchmark students’ learning and
help students to develop a conscious recognition of their own sustainability knowledge skills and values. The study also builds on existing pedagogic discourse on
the importance of learning recognition and contributes to research into innovative