Jennifer Landin is a biology professor at North Carolina State University. She is also a scientific illustrator and a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI). She attended the University of Georgia and University of Montana for her undergraduate degree in Forestry & Wildlife Management. She received her Master’s degree in biology from Marshall University in West Virginia.
I first met Jennifer last year at the GNSI conference in Savannah, Georgia. It wasn’t until after the conference, when we were working on an article for the Guild’s journal, did I learn of Jennifer’s dissertation research about the use of perceptual drawing in the classroom. I have since read her dissertation and am excited that we have the opportunity to learn more about Jennifer’s research this month.
In her research, Jennifer addresses the use of drawing to improve observational skills and increase understanding in the biology classroom. To help you understand her project, here are her research questions as they appear in Landin (2011):
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1. Do students who participate in weekly drawing activities demonstrate a higher level of biology content knowledge when compared to students who participate in weekly writing activities?
2. Do students who participate in weekly drawing activities show a more positive attitude toward biology when compared to students who participate in weekly writing activities?
3. Do students who participate in weekly drawing activities display improved observational skills when compared to students who participate in weekly writing activities?
4. What are student perceptions of drawing activities in relation to biological understanding?
5. Are there correlations between the gains in content knowledge related to drawing activities and student cognitive processes?
Jennifer hypothesized that students who participated in weekly drawing activities would:
- Demonstrate a higher level of biology content knowledge.
- Demonstrate a more positive attitude toward biology.
- Demonstrate a higher level of observational skills when compared to students who participated in weekly writing activities only.
Did the data support these hypotheses?
We’ll find out as this month progresses.
Please welcome Dr. Jennifer Landin as our special guest for September!
Literature Cited
Landin, Jennifer. 2011. Perceptual Drawing as a Learning Tool in a College Biology Laboratory. Dissertation. North Carolina University, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Update October 2016
See Jennifer and her students at work in a video produced by North Carolina State University at https://youtu.be/MFuDDLqajVA.
ArtPlantae Today 
Jennifer, you’ve trapped bobcats and alligators, inoculated corn with fungus, studied herpetology and have no doubt done your share of road riding looking for snakes and other creatures. How did you come to research student learning and the use of drawing as a learning tool?
Jennifer: My career was always divided between biology and art. I majored in forestry but drew and painted as a hobby throughout college – even worked as a graphic artist for a summer or two – but I never thought of it as a career choice for me. When I landed a job as a Scientific Illustrator, I thought life couldn’t be better. Then, I got a few promotions; the science-part of my job dropped away and I was bored.
I sat down one afternoon and folded a piece of paper into three columns: what do I LIKE to do?; what am I GOOD at?; and what can I GIVE BACK? Before this moment, I’d only considered the first two columns. When I added the third column, science education popped out.
For me, learning about nature was always about seeing things other people couldn’t see – like a superpower. Once you learn what to look for, a whole new world opens up. I want to share that feeling with my students. The first steps are to pay attention and look closely. For me, drawing helps. It’s weird how much visual information I miss until I draw an object. Our brain just skips over details that don’t fit with our preconceptions. When we draw, we have to include everything – and that leads to learning.
I’m particularly intrigued by your final three sentences above. I’m not so sure that details aren’t omitted when drawing and that everything is included when we draw. My research with 9-10 year olds at habitat dioramas shows that they certainly do not include all features, their drawing is a selection of items in the setting with inclusions from their re-existing visual memory. However, I tend to agree that drawing helps our perception, but how far does it help not to ‘skip over details that don’t fit with our preconceptions’? I look forward to the conclusions of your current research.
You’re absolutely right, Edward. Many people can make a drawing with plenty of perceptual errors. Often, it’s because we’re ok with the mind’s preconceptions and we stop looking. If we challange ourselves to make a drawing that recreates what we see, we must actually ‘see’ everything as it is. Are the 9-10 year olds trying to make an identical representation? Are they helped with seeing detail and accuracy of proportion?
We tend to think artistic abilities are “gifts” (so people can just do them or they can’t), when it’s really a skill that needs to be taught. Are we teaching students advanced skills in observation?
This was a research exercise for my PhD with pupils that were never at the museum before. They were free to observe and draw their preferred setting, without any help. Students were supposed to draw an identical representation, but the aim was to find what they actually notice and what they leave out to assess the mental model built by observing the setting. Artistic quality was not important and the pupils were aware of this, even though some are still concerned about our expectations.
I agree that drawing is a skill to develop and still a useful too in Biology even in our time of electronic gadgets and multimedia.
Very interesting, Edward. I developed a new appreciation for dioramas years ago after learning how plant models were made. The artist who taught this workshop is Gary Hoyle. You may be interested in his interview from last year. You can read it here.
The ones I worked with are habitat dioramas at the NHM in Malta. Various natural history museums in Europe and the US still value their educational, artistic and historical value. Mainly the work of able taxidermists and artists, of some decades ago. Thanks, I’ll read that interview.
Hi Edward I would really like to read your research-is it available online? I am interested in taxidermic specimens and learning.
Dawn
Hi Dawn, I’m actually writing the discussion chapter of my thesis right now. There is a paper on Academia.edu that you can have a look at. I will also add another paper I presented recently at ESERA 2013 in Cyprus. I can send you the papers via email and the whole thesis once it’s submitted. You can also find me on LinkedIn. Thanks.
Ed
Great thanks, Ed I will check you out on Academia.edu :-)
I like your concept of drawing as a super power. I had a friend who characterized the feeling he got from being able to draw as being like a rock star. As he drew he felt like a virtuoso with a brush the way Jimi Hendrix was a virtuoso with a guitar. He had worked hard so he could do things with a pencil and a brush that helped others see things for the first time. Even though he knew his “super power” was the result of many hours of work, it appeared to others like magic or something supernatural. The power to draw gave him satisfaction, a sense of self-worth, and a place in the world that carried over throughout his life.
I am interested in hearing about how you became a scientific illustrator.
I am both an artist and a biology teacher. My favorite college professor began our invertebrate zoology course with the story of Agassiz, the student and a fish (http://people.bethel.edu/~dhoward/resources/Agassizfish/Agassizfish.htm). For me, it was and remains insightful as an artist and teacher.
Thank you artiswhatmatters.
Readers, in addition to the story about Agassiz, you may also be interested in this article about A Pencil is One of the Best Eyes.
Thanks for your comment, artiswhatmatters.
I was hired as a scientific illustrator because I had the portfolio to prove I could draw and use illustration programs – AND because I knew that counting scale rows on a snake was important in species identification. The illustrator I replaced was an amazing artist, but would occasionally modify specimens to make them look better. The biologists I worked with wanted someone who understood their research species. Fior this reason, I stress a strong understanding of biological diversity and comparative anatomy for my students today. Agassiz was on to something!
Love the concept of botanical artist/scientist as rock star. We were just discussing young botanical ‘rock stars’ on Facebook : )
Your research is based upon Posner’s Theory of Conceptual Research. What is Posner’s Theory about?
Jennifer: Posner basically says that you start with a preconception. When you get some new information, you either integrate it with your current knowledge or you need to adjust your current understanding into something new. The problem is that the world often makes sense with our preconceptions, and changing can be kind of uncertain and scary. So in order to change, it’s got to really be worth it:
1) Our old mindset has to be insufficient or even harmful to us; and
2) The new way of thinking needs to be better – clearer, more accurate, and applicable to more scenarios.
I thought drawing would be a great tool for challenging misconceptions. We all glance at objects, identify them (using our old conceptions) and move ahead. But when we draw, we’re often dissatisfied. Our preconceptions interfere with our observations – basically, we think we’re seeing something that isn’t really there. That’s the dissatisfaction to an old mindset – step one in correcting a misconception.
A teacher can then use drawing mistakes to point out structures, explain what they do and why they’re important. If the student adjusts his/her thinking, then the drawing will look better and the student feels the pride of accomplishment (step two… check).
You created your own assessment tool for your research project. How did you create the Observational Skills Assessment (OSA)? Why did you create the OSA?
Jennifer: Ugh! That was the hardest part of my dissertation. Let me just say that people who create assessments (think SATs) are geniuses and saints.
I had to create the OSA because there was nothing out there close to what I needed. Trust me, I’d much rather use someone else’s assessment! But there were only very low-level tests of observation (used to assess basic brain function), tests that require certain subject knowledge along with the observational skills, and tests that require cognitive processing (like mental rotation) — nothing to measure how a normal adult observes detail, pattern, and proportion.
Briefly describe the type of data you collected.
Jennifer: I measured knowledge of biology with a pre- and post-test (kind of like a short final exam). I also asked students to take an Attitude-Toward-Biology test and my Observational Skills Assessment. I supplemented these tests with interviews, questionnaires and weekly observations of student behaviors.
All of the students had the same lecture class and same lab activities. So, as much as possible, all the experiences the students had in class were the same. The only difference was a “Journal” randomly assigned to each student. Some students had drawing activities to complete, others had writing tasks.
Did these data support your hypotheses?
Jennifer: Well, yes and no. In the case of content knowledge, the students who drew did perform slightly better on the assessment. But there was only a tiny difference in their class grades. Considering that students were only drawing for ~5-10 minutes per week, though, the differences I saw between the groups were incredibly interesting.
For Attitude-Toward-Biology, I ran into an unexpected problem: these were Biology majors who started out REALLY liking biology. So there was little room for improvements and, as expected, I didn’t see any differences.
There were no real differences in Observational Skill either. It all sounds rather boring, doesn’t it?!
But I did find some fascinating details. For instance, science majors scored higher on the Observational Skills test than non-science majors. Also, when given the choice of a writing or drawing activity, students overwhelmingly prefer drawing – although they need instruction in How-to-Draw (it’s not an innate talent, but a learnable skill). And the most interesting aspect of this study (to me) was student looking behaviors. I had expected students to look at an object when drawing it. I was shocked to see how many people glanced at the specimen, returned to their seats and then started the assignment. This observation actually led to another study.
What difficulties did you encounter while conducting research about drawing in the classroom? Did you encounter anything you weren’t expecting?
Jennifer: Did I ever! I come from a science background – research on plants, animals or cells is SO much easier than research on people! It was a real learning experience for me.
The biggest issue involved conducting research in an actual class. Many educational researchers do this – it’s the most convenient approach. But I think I’d conduct individual testing in the future. By simplifying the activity, I could control more variables, monitor individual behaviors better, and end up with much better data.
Interestingly, I have observed all your findings in my classroom of 4th graders (25 years) of doing a unit on drawing NC indigenous species. They are always VERY excited about going out and bringing in a species of their choice: plant, animal, insect.
Most of them felt blocked when drawing a representation was the task. We broke down the skills of observation first. Some like you said did not observe, just drew more of a symbolic version of a flower, pinecone or grasshopper. I used alternative ocular exercises (scopes, magnifiers, frames, blind contours) to move them away from symbolic. The most successful students were always the ones who could hang in a form of suspended “focus”. Many made huge leaps of accuracy when we added the concept of scale.
As an educator and member of the GNSI, I find your fascination with assessments interesting. Many people confuse fine art and perceptual drawing skills and do not understand the significance of each. I think there is much to research here and it is only ammunition when folks express the cognitive/perceptual relationship in the visual arts is somehow inferior to behavioral biology or psychology. Keep up the good work….it is through the integration of disciplines that we truly learn the way the world works!!♡
Another interesting observation is in training students to use their eyes to gather information. Students whom spent the majority of the time focused on the species rather than their drawing drew more accurately. I always explained this phenomenon as a “hand-eye” coordination thing.
“Michael Jordan doesn’t have 100% accuracy either and he certainly didn’t show up in the NBA without a lot of practice”, I tell my students.
Thanks for your comments, Capt. Wallace.
I like your Michael Jordan analogy – I use a similar one: You can’t expect to play like Mozart after practicing the piano for an hour. It’s interesting that people expect to be able to draw with little or no effort, but activities like playing basketball or piano require lots of work!
Jennifer, twice in your dissertation you bring attention to students’ indifference towards plants. In one instance you observe that one of the two exercises in which student performance was the lowest, was an exercise about drawing plants. You share a student’s comment about plants being “kind of dull to draw” (Landin, 2011). You also share that during the plant lab, students did not work in their Lab Workbooks and paid little attention to the teaching assistant. You also mention that some students viewed the plant lab as not being very important. Do you have any thoughts or hunches about what might be contributing to student indifference towards plants?
Jennifer: That is an excellent question.
I have three ideas (just opinions really): 1) a majority of students in the biology program are planning on health careers so they tend to be very focused on humans; 2) a general human-centric focus of society; 3) a lack of knowledge about plants.
I think all three conditions could be addressed by a better understanding of plant biology. It’s interesting that biology classes about a hundred years ago were more equally focused on plants and animals. Now though, even with the increase in understanding of cell biology (which is so similar between plants and animals), we teach mostly about animals. If you consider the decrease in agricultural pursuits, society has really lost a ton of awareness about plants.
It’s too bad because plants are incredibly fascinating in defense mechanisms, competitive behaviors and symbiotic relationships. There’s so much ACTION in plants, but it’s mostly chemical rather than physical.
I would strongly encourage teachers to use more plants in their lessons – they’re easy to grow in a classroom, students can have a sense of “ownership” when they care for a plant, and there are so many great topics to cover using plants (history of agriculture & society, medicine, biological competition, experimental design, where food comes from, etc.).
One main conclusion from my PhD research is that 9-10 year olds ‘see’ plants far less than they ‘see’ animals. In their drawings, they include more than twice the number of animals compared to plants and with greater variety for animals too. This confirms what other researchers have found, that plants seem to be invisible to children even from such an early age. If nothing is done to address this lacuna, students tend to retain this insensitivity toward plants and reach high school disliking plant Biology. I have taught A-level Biology to 16+ students for the past 12 years and I can say that students do not like plant Biology and would rather do without.
Great comments, Edward. There has been a growing branch of research into the phenomenon known as Plant Blindness. I believe ArtPlantae covered the topic recently.
You make many interesting suggestions for future research in your paper. How have you continued your research into the use of drawing as a learning tool?
Jennifer: Actually, my recent research has been in textbook graphics. While writing my dissertation, I became very interested in the history of drawing as a classroom activity. Teachers used to ask students to draw specimens and copy figures from their textbooks. As I looked at those old textbook figures, I became interested in the changes that have taken place over the last 100 years. I recently submitted a paper on the Cell Anatomy graphic. From my research, there have been surprisingly few graphics; most are copied from other textbooks.
Like the “looking behaviors” of the student participants, it’s fascinating to see designers drawing the idea of a cell rather than just looking at an actual cell. I also have to wonder if these graphics create misconceptions for students because there are a number of inaccuracies.
I do expect that my current research and drawing as a learning tool will recombine in the future.
Go to the source!
Every drawing is actually an interpretation of the artist’s observation filtered through their own unique set of sensory input. Therefore what comes back out on the paper is a reflection of that interpretation and the level of skills they have acquired.
If we consider the camera as a tool similar to our eye, this tool also has it’s own interpretation (shall we say limits). This is why the science illustrator exists. Although we can manipulate photos through digital apps, we are actually changing the observation to suit a particular interpretation…our own or potentially a client!
So if we consider a “cell graphic” as already interpreted through someone else’s sensory input, then THAT is what we are drawing, not the source. So many of the early historical “discovery” drawings prove this when you go and actually see the species yourself. Does this make the drawing inaccurate or do we always have to assume that ALL drawing is an interpretation or a representation through a ‘unique’ observational data set: the artist or even a representation of the artist’s culture and time.
e.g. the first drawings of Native Americans by explorer Gov. John White…his drawings are from his experiences, but then are interpreted through his exposure to classical drawing styles and techniques of his time in the late renaissance~
Go to the source!
Hi Jennifer
I am enjoying your discussions this month and have downloaded a copy of your thesis. have you seen this paper by a French researcher Pierre Clement-think you might find it interesting:
Clément P. (2007) – Introducing the cell concept by both animal and plant cells: a historical and didactic approach. Science & Education, 16, p.423-440.
Hi Dawn – I’ve read other papers by Clément, but missed this one – thank you so much for the reference. It looks like a great paper. Since my current research is in cell graphics, this is wonderful.
Jennifer
Jennifer, how do you use drawing in your classroom today?
Jennifer: Thanks to my dissertation, I developed a course in Biological Illustration. As far as I’m aware, it’s the only one of its kind because it’s a biology class. We cover diversity and anatomy of plants, fungi and animals, how to identify groups or species, and linking form to function.
From my experience, illustration is a great way to teach comparative anatomy, evidence-based thinking, and of course, observational skills.
The course has been a huge success – we recently doubled the class size and the students have now exhibited their work at a state museum and aquarium. Check out student work here and here.
Thanks for the links to the students work. The drawings are exceptional, great detail and precision. Well done indeed to the students and to you for providing them with the opportunity.
My comment is that the students work is amazing and how lucky they are to have the opportunity to take this Biological Illustration course!
I will second this. Fortunate indeed! Thank you, Judith.
Thank you, Judith! The students really put their hearts and souls into their illustrations. They have done SUCH great work.
The interview with Jennifer Landon is mentioned on the blog Painting Pundit by artist, art educator and registered nurse, Mary Gwyn Bowen. Thank you, Mary, for sharing Jennifer’s interview with your readers.