Productive Communication in an Elementary Engineering Club: A Multimodal Analysis

• In Event: Semiotics in Education: Signs, Meanings, and Multimodality SIG Paper Session

Abstract

The data in this study of the ways elementary-aged children communicate in an after-school engineering club is examined from a multimodal perspective in order to learn from nuanced behaviors as children work through the use of the engineering design process to uncover problems and solutions. We purposefully examine underrepresented elementary-aged children engaged with engineering (females, minorities, and English Language Learners, or ELLs) and their use of intra and interpersonal skills, through the lens of the Productive Communication Model (PCM) (Authors, 2017). The model, designed by a multi-disciplinary research team, fills a significant gap considering only one of fourteen elementary engineering curricula reviewed for this study explicitly addresses the teaching of intra and interpersonal skills students need to succeed as engineers.

Authors

• Katherine Haq, SUNY - Buffalo

• Lynn Shanahan, University at Buffalo - SUNY