Student Use of Cued Gestures in Explanations of Scientific Phenomena

• In Event: 16.062 - Poster Session 2
  In Poster Session: 16.062-4 - Learning Sciences SIG Poster Session

Abstract

There is growing interest in learning environments based on principles of embodied design, but there are currently few studies that explore student use of such learning environments. This study investigates how students use gestures cued by a computer simulation in order to construct scientific explanations of gas pressure phenomena. By using a mixed methods approach, we found that approximately a quarter of students initially used the cued gesture in their explanations, and approximately half of students used the cued gesture to provide additional details. Cases show student use of the cued gesture to (a) communicate, (b) elaborate, and (c) make sense. We conclude that congruent gestures cued by a learning environment can be used to support communication and conceptual development.

Authors

• Robert Charles Wallon, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Christina Silliman, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

• Robb Lindgren, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign