Drawing together research and pedagogy

Psychologists are now providing evidence for what artists and designers have long known in practice: drawing is a tool of thought. New understandings of drawing, emerging from the conjunction of methods and models from cognitive science and arts-based research, have important practical applications for art education and beyond. In this article we give a brief account of recent drawing and cognition research (ours and others’) and discuss the relevance for art educators. We are researchers, educators, and artists ourselves and we have incorporated research findings into our pedagogical practice. We hope to enable readers to adopt and adapt these examples for their own teaching.