The module examines children's making and understanding of pictures from a variety of perspectives. Please note the indicative perspectives and specific content below may change annually to reflect the debates at the forefront of the discipline

Development: The developmental of representational and expressive drawing, and how understanding of pictures and their aesthetic properties change with age.
Cognitive: Understanding the dual nature of pictures, the artists’ ‘mind’ behind pictures, the relationship between production and comprehension of pictures, the use of drawings as memory aids.
Clinical: Drawing development in special populations and the use of drawings in clinical assessments.

Aesthetic: Children's use and understanding of aesthetic techniques in pictures.

Culture: Differences in drawings across cultures and their influences.

Education: The influence of art curricular and wider educational factors on children’s drawings.

In addition to the academic content the module will encourage and develop the use of a range of academic and employability skills. In particular, critical evaluation, understanding the different methods of analysing data, sourcing and interpreting information from databases, and written communication skills. The use of drawings in professional practice will also be covered in the module.

2,500 word literature review assessing learning outcomes 1-4. Students will choose one literature review question from a list. This assessment will test students’ detailed knowledge and analysis of a specific topic within this module. Nevertheless, students are encouraged to integrate material from different topics, whenever this is appropriate. Conducting your own literature review using appropriate academic databases, in addition to the content and reading lists provided in each lecture, is essential.

Formative assessment
Monitoring your progress on the module and the literature review will be facilitated by the following:

The lectures and seminars will provide an opportunity for you to ask questions and receive feedback, and to participate and listen to the discussions with other students facilitated by the tutor.

The seminar on the assessment will in particular give you an opportunity to understand the marking criteria for the literature review. In particular, you will be asked to consider the strengths and weaknesses of extracts from past student literature reviews, and where and how improvements can be made.

Drop-in sessions will give you an opportunity to discuss your literature review with the module leader

Finally, you will have further opportunities to have informal discussions with the teaching staff on this module, some of which may be made through booking appointments with staff.

Interactive lectures, seminars and drop-in sessions (30 hours). In each lecture/discussion session we will discuss material relating to a particular topic (LO1), with tasks/questions to complete by the students.

The seminar series will present an overview of the topic and module, how to conduct and write a literature review (LO3) for the assessment (including an interactive discussion on past student reviews to facilitate students understanding of the marking criteria of the learning outcomes), academic and employability skills such as critical evaluation (LO2), and issues relating to analysing and interpreting data (LO4).

Assessment support /drop-in sessions will also be offered.

Independent learning. Reading references on reading list for each lecture and general texts. Conducting own literature review and reading relevant output. Writing literature review.

1. Demonstrate systematic knowledge of empirical research, theory and issues relevant to literature review question

2. Critically evaluate contemporary research, theory, issues and debates (including those in related topics) and suggest future research

3. Show demonstrable evidence of conducting own literature review using appropriate academic databases

4. Critically evaluate appropriate methods for collecting and interpreting data in the chosen literature review

Blackboard VLE. Important information such as the handbook, lecture and seminar materials, assessment information, resources (e.g. reading list and links to fulltext and library catalogue) and teaching staff/contacts. Open University video on children’s drawings that includes aboriginal children’s drawings questioning the western bias towards representational drawing patterns.

Library access to relevant text books, journals, e-books

Internet access to relevant websites and online databases.

Jolley, R.P. (2010). Children and Pictures: drawing and understanding. Wiley-Blackwell.

Cox, M. V. (2005) The Pictorial World of the Child. Cambridge University Press.

Milbrath, C., & Trautner, H.M. (Eds.). (2008). Children’s understanding and production of pictures, drawing and art: Theoretical and empirical approaches. Hogrefe and Huber.

A journal article relevant to equality, diversity and inclusion covering the western bias towards representational developmental patterns:

Jolley, R.P., Barlow, C.M., Rotenberg, K.J., & Cox, M.V. (2016). Linear and U-shape trends in the development of expressive drawing from pre-schoolers to adult artists. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, 10, 309-324.

How and why were pictures first created by our historical ancestors? What are the variety and functions of pictures in our modern world? A study of children's picture making and understanding of pictures gives us insight not only into childhood but also the development of our pictorial world that we live in. The module shall examine questions within children's making and understanding of pictures, which will be approached from various perspectives: developmental, cognitive, clinical, aesthetic, educational, and cross-cultural. Where appropriate, we will also make links more generally to the child's development. The contact will be through 2-hour interactive lectures, plus a series of seminars. The assessment is a 2,500 word literature review in which you will choose one title from a list. You will be given guidance on understanding what a literature review is and how to approach it.