Running head: ARTICLE REVIEW 4 1

Article Review 4:

Using Childrens Representations to Investigate Meaning-making in Mathematics

Rolanda S. Hardy

June 28, 2017

Trinity Washington University

EDTE 436- Dr. Steen

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Article Review 4:

Using Childrens Representations to Investigate Meaning-making in Mathematics

Drawings and art representations are frequently paired with literacy instruction and

scientific observations. It is rare that students are asked to make drawings about math concepts.

Dictations and narrations often work to understand students content knowledge and how they

connect it to their other in or out-of-school experiences. But what happens when the two forms of

representations collide? This article illustrates the power that drawings and dictations can have in

students understanding of and attribution of meaning to mathematical concepts.

According to MacDonald (2013), the representing relationship is not fixed, because an

interaction or act of interpretation is involved in the relation between that which is representing

and that which is represented (p. 65). When we ask students to create representations of

knowledge, it is easy to focus on the product of their representations. However, it is the relationship

between the illustrator and the illustration that can be the most telling. An example in the article

demonstrates a child named Lachlan who makes meaning about heavy versus light through cutting

the grass with his father. His drawing and dictation together give valuable information about how

Lachlan makes meaning with this mathematical idea. Understanding the relationship between

Lachlan and his representation allows educators and observers to gain insight into his skills and

ways of knowing.

These skills and ways of knowing may not be demonstrated in other areas or activites.

Because drawing is a natural and non-threatening activity, it can serve as an authentic means of

assessing young children. MacDonald (2013) tells us that the coupling of drawing and narrative

offers an authentic kind of participation for the child, and a concrete form through which we can

observe the workings of the childs imagination (p. 68). Authentic assessments are observation
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heavy. The premise of early childhood education is that young children are burdened with the task

of creating products all day for assessment purposes. They are engaging in meaningful activities

while educators observe their interactions, take notes, or complete checklists. This informal means

of assessment can yield little documentation to display student learning and growth. Drawings and

dictations allow students to interact in an engaging activity while creating a product that

demonstrates learning.

From this article, I learned that by tuning into childrens unique forms of representing,

and observing what the child actually does when engaged in a particular art form, we can often

sustain and extend his/her interest and involvement (MacDonald, 2013, p. 72). Again, the author

considers the product versus process debate. Process does not solely include the ways in which the

students create their representations. The process of representing includes the ways in which

students interact with their representations. What aspect of the illustration does the student create

the most details for? What is the child saying as they are drawing? The childs process provides

meaningful clues into the understanding and

In my current teaching setting, students regularly complete journal entries. Generally, their

journal entries involve representations of knowledge, observations, or skills. Students demonstrate

meaning but are not challenged to make meaning during the construction of their drawings.

Essentially, their work is product based, for the purposes of documentation and assessment.

However, their work could serve as both the meaning-making activity and as documentation. This

would require that my students engage with more open-ended journal prompts that relate to

mathematical concepts.

I am anxious to try the task concepts in the text. I believe this is a good way of assessing

understanding while allowing children to explore the content in ways that are meaningful to them.
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The tasks also provide opportunities to speak with children individually to do their dictations.

MacDonald (2013) names six representation tasks [that] were carried out with children aged

three to seven years (p. 69). These tasks were: draw yourself measuring, draw something tall and

something short, draw something heavy and something light, draw something hot and something

cold, draw a ruler, and draw a clock. These are all simple task prompts that I could easily

incorporate into my students journaling.

I agree with the articles notion that students need time to create and make meaning with

their drawings. MacDonald illustrates this idea with a student named Lucinda who is charged with

the task of drawing a clock. The student asks, and is granted, permission to draw multiple clocks.

Classroom routines and schedules frequently leave little room for children to explore beyond the

initial task. However, in allowing Lucinda to do so, the observer was able to notice Lucindas

context and content knowledge. While the final drawing revealed Lucindas ability to accurately

record a time on a clock face (MacDonald, 2013, p. 71). Lucindas multiple representations

showed the various ways she made meaning from the simple task of drawing a clock.

In essence, representation is not just a procedure by which children record their

knowledge about a concept; it is also a process through which understandings can be constructed,

reconsidered, and applied in new ways (p. 72). I struggled this year to help create some

meaningful journal entries for my students. As I looked through the students journals at the end

of the school year, I felt there should have been more. This article provided a new way of journaling

for my students. Because my students are emergent writers, they rely on drawings to convey

meaning. Providing open-ended questions and time for students to interact with their illustrations,

is an effective method of assessing content and making meaning.

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References

MacDonald, A. (2013). Using children's representations to investigate meaning-making in

mathematics. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, (2), 65.