Drawing Sustainability: Helping Students to Know What They Know
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in-class and independent study activities (Davis 2003), drawing sustainability may
provide a practical tool to encourage reflection on, and recognition of, learning.
Mapping the inputs to drawing sustainability and students’ and tutor’s post activity
reflections against the Indicators of Learning Recognition Framework suggests that
learning can take place through drawing and that the learning is recognised by the
students and the tutor. Hopefully this recognition of what they know and what they
need to know will enhance the quality of the students’ education (Kurnaz and Cimer
2010), promote their higher attainment (Flavell 1976), and facilitate students’ further
learning as advocated by Schwartz and Martin (2004). Together these may contribute
to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
As well as providing an opportunity to deepen understanding, as suggested by
Ainsworth et al. (2011), the research findings suggest that drawing sustainability may
also increase students’ confidence and higher cognitive skills. Students’ post activity
reflections suggest that drawing sustainability can build the self-esteem and selfconfidence advocated by Jones (1997) and promote the critical thinking proposed
by Quillin and Thomas (2015). Both of these higher order cognitive skills may
contribute to development of work-ready graduates with the sustainability knowledge
and employment skills (Drayson 2015), and reflexive ability (Hind et al. 2009) to
become architects of socially and environmentally sustainable futures.
As EfS requires students to gain and understanding of the complex interconnectivity of, and challenges inherent in, developing social and environmental sustainability practices, the task of drawing sustainability may offer tutors an effective
teaching tool to support them through this. The research findings suggest drawing
sustainability has effectively promoted the learning recognition of a new subject
proposed by Quillin and Thomas (2015) and enabled students to apply and recreate
their knowledge in another format as recommended by Griffith and Burns (2014). The
research findings suggest that through presenting their ideas visually students can see
their previously unseen knowledge as proposed by Quillin and Thomas (2015), thus
challenging them to focus on the reflection and articulation of knowledge which can
guide them to know what they know (Quintana et al. 1999). The research findings
presented here therefore suggest drawing sustainability may present the opportunity
to enhance thinking and learning advocated by Hope (2008), Adams (2017).
In addition to achieving the hoped-for benchmark of knowledge and recognition
of learning outcomes, a number of additional outcomes have emerged from this study.
For example, students’ reflections on the drawing activity suggest the development of
critical thinking is recognised. This may be promoted through the drawing activity’s
process and presentation of the drawing to the class involving the communication of
students’ own ideas. In addition, students’ reflections upon the activity of drawing
sustainability suggests it can encourage them to form an image of sustainability to
reflect upon and relate to personal societal and environmental sustainability practices,
thus contributing to the development of their personal values which Howlett et al.
(2016) suggest can empower learners to transform the way they think and act to
become change agents for sustainable futures who can contribute to the achievement
of the Sustainable Development Goals.
233
in-class and independent study activities (Davis 2003), drawing sustainability may
provide a practical tool to encourage reflection on, and recognition of, learning.
Mapping the inputs to drawing sustainability and students’ and tutor’s post activity
reflections against the Indicators of Learning Recognition Framework suggests that
learning can take place through drawing and that the learning is recognised by the
students and the tutor. Hopefully this recognition of what they know and what they
need to know will enhance the quality of the students’ education (Kurnaz and Cimer
2010), promote their higher attainment (Flavell 1976), and facilitate students’ further
learning as advocated by Schwartz and Martin (2004). Together these may contribute
to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
As well as providing an opportunity to deepen understanding, as suggested by
Ainsworth et al. (2011), the research findings suggest that drawing sustainability may
also increase students’ confidence and higher cognitive skills. Students’ post activity
reflections suggest that drawing sustainability can build the self-esteem and selfconfidence advocated by Jones (1997) and promote the critical thinking proposed
by Quillin and Thomas (2015). Both of these higher order cognitive skills may
contribute to development of work-ready graduates with the sustainability knowledge
and employment skills (Drayson 2015), and reflexive ability (Hind et al. 2009) to
become architects of socially and environmentally sustainable futures.
As EfS requires students to gain and understanding of the complex interconnectivity of, and challenges inherent in, developing social and environmental sustainability practices, the task of drawing sustainability may offer tutors an effective
teaching tool to support them through this. The research findings suggest drawing
sustainability has effectively promoted the learning recognition of a new subject
proposed by Quillin and Thomas (2015) and enabled students to apply and recreate
their knowledge in another format as recommended by Griffith and Burns (2014). The
research findings suggest that through presenting their ideas visually students can see
their previously unseen knowledge as proposed by Quillin and Thomas (2015), thus
challenging them to focus on the reflection and articulation of knowledge which can
guide them to know what they know (Quintana et al. 1999). The research findings
presented here therefore suggest drawing sustainability may present the opportunity
to enhance thinking and learning advocated by Hope (2008), Adams (2017).
In addition to achieving the hoped-for benchmark of knowledge and recognition
of learning outcomes, a number of additional outcomes have emerged from this study.
For example, students’ reflections on the drawing activity suggest the development of
critical thinking is recognised. This may be promoted through the drawing activity’s
process and presentation of the drawing to the class involving the communication of
students’ own ideas. In addition, students’ reflections upon the activity of drawing
sustainability suggests it can encourage them to form an image of sustainability to
reflect upon and relate to personal societal and environmental sustainability practices,
thus contributing to the development of their personal values which Howlett et al.
(2016) suggest can empower learners to transform the way they think and act to
become change agents for sustainable futures who can contribute to the achievement
of the Sustainable Development Goals.