Examining Teacher Gesturing in an English Learner–Focused Elementary Engineering Curriculum

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: Learning and Socialization in STEM Education: Perspectives on Engagement, Language Learning, and Teacher Gesturing

Abstract

Discrepancies in STEM performance among culturally and linguistically diverse student populations highlight the poor integration of STEM curricula with culturally responsive teaching practices, especially among bilingual English learner (EL) students. Recent efforts to introduce a new EL-focused engineering curricula to elementary teachers provided the opportunity to increase bilingual EL students’ STEM literacy and linguistic development. Our research team performed an exploratory analysis of teacher gesturing, a practice associated with linguistic and mathematical development, during teachers’ implementation of such engineering curriculum. Using McNeill’s gestural framework, the research team found some variation of gesturing types when comparing engineering and baseline science lessons. We suggest that these observed teacher-gestures have the potential to facilitate bilingual EL students’ language acquisition and STEM literacy.

Authors

• Luis Miguel Fernandez, The University of Texas - Austin

• Sneha Tharayil, The University of Texas - Austin

• Rebecca M. Callahan, The University of Texas - Austin