Drawings of visually impaired students analyzed in the light of Vigotski

Abstract

The act of drawing and coloring constitutes one of the artistic expressions through which children verbalize their thoughts, conceptions, and ideals, guided by imagination and feelings. This practice is also possible for children with visual impairments, since, above all, they are children—a fact that challenges paradigms limiting their forms of expression. In this context, this article analyzes the drawings produced by students with visual impairments as representations of the concept of Center of Gravity. The study is grounded in the Historical-Cultural Theory developed by Vigotski, which conceives learning as a socially mediated process in which signs and meanings are constructed and reconstructed in the formation of scientific knowledge. From this perspective, drawing is configured as a mediating instrument, articulating the elements of the triad planning-student-world, in an interconnection that materializes both in the classroom and in other social spaces. This work is a segment of doctoral research conducted by one of the authors in two third-grade classes of an elementary school specialized in inclusive education in Rio de Janeiro, where the drawings were produced during science lessons. The results highlight the students’ unique interpretations and demonstrate that artistic expressions functioned as instruments for making concepts explicit, promoting the linkage between scientific knowledge and social understandings of the Center of Gravity. It is concluded that drawing plays a relevant role in the formation of such concepts, integrating pedagogical planning, student specificities, and sociocultural context, with teacher mediation being essential for the development of learning.