Gesticulating science: Emergent bilingual students’ use of gestures

Abstract

This article examines how emergent bilingual students used gestures in science class, and the consequences of students' gestures when their language repertoire limited their possibilities to express themselves. The study derived from observations in two science classes in Sweden. In the first class, 3rd grade students (9-10 years old) were involved in a unit concerning electricity. The second class consisted of 7th-grade students (13-14 years old) working with acids and bases. Data were analyzed by using practical epistemological analysis (PEA). When students' language proficiency limited their possibility to express themselves, using gestures resulted in the continuation of the science activities. Furthermore, both peers and teachers drew on the used gestures to talk about the science content. In some situations, the meaning of the gestures needed to be negotiated. Regardless, the gestures were always related to language. Both students and teachers participated in this process, but the teachers directed the communication toward the goal of the lessons: learning how to talk science. The study contributes to the field by showing the importance of paying attention to and valuing bilingual students' use of gestures as a way to express scientific knowledge. In addition, it demonstrates how teachers might draw on students' gestures to teach science and discusses the importance of creating multimodal learning environments. #

The continuity of learning in a translanguaging science classroom

“…It is also included in all actions, images and objects that in some way express meaning and create significance in situations (Säljö 2010). Therefore, the participants' speech acts in a science classroom also include body language and gestures (Ünsal, Jakobson, Wickman and Molander 2018) and how the participants use different physical artifacts to express meaning (Lidar, Almqvist and Östman 2010). Using all these different modes of language (Danielsson 2016), continuity in science learning in classrooms activities can be created (Wickman 2013).…”

Fifth graders’ use of gesture and models when translanguaging during a content and language integrated science class in Hong Kong

“…Findings showed a teacher was able to create multiple pathways for students to carry out science tasks by using semiotic modes such as music, tactile materials and visuals (Blair, Haneda, and Bose 2018). In another study, Unsal et al (2018) explored the gesticulations of emergent bilinguals in grades 3 and 7 in Sweden. Findings showed students drew upon their semiotic repertoire to gesticulate when they were unable to describe a phenomenon in words, or when they used words inaccurately.…”

“…Consequently, the semiotic potentials gestural and tactile modes offer emergent bilinguals remain relatively unobserved in content-based science classrooms despite evidence of their benefits in science education research (e.g. Bracey 2017; Hampton and Rodriguez 2001;Jakobson and Axelsson 2017;Unsal et al 2018;Williams, Tang, and Won 2019;Zwiep et al 2011) and language research (Belhiah 2013;Dahl and Ludvigsen 2014;Gullberg 2006;Ingerpuu-Rümmel 2018;Lee, Hampel, and Kukulska-Hulme 2019;Peng, Zhang, and Chen 2017;Yen-Liang 2017). As a result, there are currently calls for more classroom research to investigate the semiotic processes involved when bilinguals use translanguaging to decipher content meaning (Lin 2019).…”

Rotas De Transição Modal E O Ensino De Representações Envolvidas No Modelo Cinético Molecular

“…Eles abordam aulas de Química Orgânica do Ensino Superior Chue, Lee, & Tan, 2015), professores de Química do Ensino Médio (Danielsson, 2016;Abels, 2016), professores de Química em formação inicial (Giordan, Silva-Neto, & Aizawa, 2015), professores de Ciências do Ensino Médio (Wilson, Boatright, & Landon-Hays, 2014), professores de Ciências do Ensino Fundamental (Piccinini & Martins, 2005;Sessa & Trivelato, 2017;Oliveira et al, 2014) e até mesmo um tutor virtual (desenho animado) que usava gestos ao comunicar as atividades on-line (Martins, Demorais, Schaab, & Jaques, 2016). Outros trabalhos analisam os gestos em estudantes do Ensino Fundamental (Kapon, 2017;Ünsal, Jakobson, Wickman, & Molander, 2018), de Ensino Médio (Gregorcic, Planinsic, & Etkina, 2017) e envolvendo estudantes do Ensino Fundamental e universitários (Ianì, Cutica, & Bucciarelli, 2017). Esses são alguns exemplos de trabalhos envolvendo gestos, que mostram uma intensa e promissora contribuição na comunicação, no ensino e na aprendizagem.…”