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  • Beyond the spoken word: Examining the nature of teacher gesturing in the context of an elementary engineering curriculum for English-learner students
Title: Beyond the spoken word: Examining the nature of teacher gesturing in the context of an elementary engineering curriculum for English-learner students
Our research team performed an exploratory analysis of teacher gesturing via a case study of an elementary teacher. We focused on gesturing, a practice found to support both bilingual English learner students’ linguistic development and mathematics achievement, during the teacher’s engineering and science lessons. The research team systematically analyzed teacher video data using McNeill’s gestural dimensions framework and found variation of gesturing types and rates when comparing engineering and baseline science lessons. Additionally, specific types of teacher-gestures appear to be associated with either behavioral or classroom management practices, procedural instructions, and discussion facilitation. We suggest that teacher-gestures such as these have the potential to facilitate bilingual English learners’ language acquisition, while also developing their STEM literacy in general and engineering capacity in particular. Further exploration of teacher-gestures in elementary engineering curricula could lead to an integrated STEM pedagogy that incorporates gesturing as a fundamental teaching strategy, bridging STEM instruction with linguistically responsive instructional practices.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1503428
PAR ID:
10220962
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Texas education review
Volume:
8
Issue:
1
ISSN:
1531-7722
Page Range / eLocation ID:
40-64
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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