Felice Frankel

Picturing to Learn

Picturing to Learn (2008-2012) involved science students and faculty from Harvard, MIT, Duke University, and Roxbury Community College, along with design students and faculty from the School of Visual Arts in New York and the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. It was founded on two core premises:

  1. Undergraduate students can clarify their own understanding of scientific concepts and processes by creating drawings that explain these concepts to non-experts.
  2. Drawings can be useful for teachers as both assessment tools, allowing instructors to identify students’ scientific understanding and pinpoint their misconceptions, and educational tools to help inform instructors’ lecture preparation.

The idea began with Felice’s experiences while working with scientists to visually express their research. It was clear that when the researcher created drawings to explain to her the phenomena, the process itself seemed to clarify the science in the mind of the researcher.

Press:
MIT News: ‘Picturing to Learn’ makes science visual
The New York Times: Back to the Drawing Board (PDF)