This article presents an exploratory study into the use of diagrammatic representation to aid problem-solving. It consists of a case study of one preschooler (3.9 years) who over a 12-month period was encouraged to use drawing as a way of reasoning about daily problems or issues. For this child, diagrammatic representation was found to facilitate effective reasoning as well as the use of metacognitive strategies. The implications for educational practice are discussed.

Keywords: problem-solving, drawing, diagrammatic representation, cognition, preschooler

AJEC, Vol. 31 No. 2, June 2006, pp. 42-48.