Multimodal interaction for science learning in preschool: Conceptual development with external tools across a science project

Abstract

This paper studies the scaffolding of conceptual development for children aged 4-5 years old during a science project at a Swedish preschool. It specifically examines how bodily knowledge and language are used in interaction, and how conceptual knowledge can be scaffolded with the use of external tools and artefacts. The science project was tracked for seven weeks and the analytical focus is on situations where a computer and a projected screen are used. The study shows how interactions afforded by the setup provide a virtual-physical setting where teachers and children can interact using both language and bodily modes. As such, it provided an interactional space where teachers can scaffold children's tactile understandings towards conceptual knowledge by building on the children's prior experiences, and knowledge is cumulated over time during the project. This is accomplished by focusing attention on the topic and through the use of tools in interaction. Possible implications and uses for early childhood education are discussed in the light of these results.

How sensorimotor interaction shapes and supports young children’s gestural communication around science

“…By supporting children to engage in discourse focused on ‘doing’ we might support them to continue to develop their science processes, whilst also giving them the opportunity to express current thinking. Aligning with Samuelsson ( 2019 ) this highlights the importance of the educator both in the initial design of activities which provide children with meaningful ways to ‘do’ science and in providing a discourse context which can support children’s continuing processes of meaning making.…”

“…Other work shows the benefits of multimodal discourse – that includes bodily knowledge such as gestures – into the interaction between pre-schoolers and teachers in scaffolding their science understanding (e.g. Kallery, 2011 ; Samuelsson, 2019 ). Samuelsson’s work illustrates the role of ‘doing, languaging, and the use of external artefacts and tools’ (p. 267) in the scaffolding process.…”

Guiding Preschool Play for Cultural Learning: Preschool Design as Cultural Niche Construction

“…After coding and extracting play activities from the data, a more systematic analysis could commence. Other aspects of this project have been published in Ledin and Samuelsson (2017) and Samuelsson (2019 , 2020) . Here, however, the notion of cultural affordances in guided play was taken as a central unit of analysis as it provides an intermediary between resources of the cultural niche, preschool design, and the behavioral flexibility provided by play behavior.…”

Cultural semiotic resources in young children’s science drawings

“…Several studies have addressed multimodal communication through the examination of teacher's practices, as well as the resources used in the science classroom (Jaipal 2010), highlighting diverse modes of meaning making such as children's embodiment (Siry and Gorges 2020); and showing that certain resources, such as open-ended science notebooks, provide a space for multiple modes of interaction and representation, as well as for deepening understandings (Wilmes and Siry 2020). Teachers are capable of scaffolding multimodal interactions in the EC class, such as gestures and visual representations with physical tools, among others, for science meaning making (Samuelsson 2019). Drawing is a common semiotic mode in EC, and research shows that it supports conceptual development (e.g., Fiorella and Zang 2018) and scientific observation (e.g., Cappelle, Franco and Munford 2023).…”