Multimodal teacher input and science learning in a middle school sheltered classroom

Abstract

This article reports the results of an ethnographic research about the multimodal science discourse in a sixth-grade sheltered classroom involving English Language Learners (ELLs) only. Drawing from the perspective of multimodality, this study examines how science learning is constructed in science lectures through multiple semiotic resources, including oral language, gestures, and visual products. Specifically, the study asks three research questions: 1. What is the nature of multimodal communication between the teacher and students? 2. How does science learning occur in the classroom from a multimodal perspective? and 3. How does language development occur in the classroom? Data include eight months of classroom observation with video and audio recordings, fieldnotes, formal, and informal interviews with the teacher and students, photographs of textbook pages, students' final products, and teacher products. Results show that the gap between the multimodal representation and communication, as well as the disconnection between teacher discourse and student discourse, provides limited evidence of the students' knowledge reconstruction. The gap between the everyday language and scientific language leads to limited language development. The study expands the current knowledge base about ELLs' multimodal classroom experiences in relating to science learning and language development. The results can be used to help both researchers and educators in the future to examine the multimodal instructional design in terms of its effectiveness for science learning. #

Gesticulating science: Emergent bilingual students’ use of gestures

“…Nevertheless, studies concerning bilingual students' learning in science have focused on language. The use of other mediating means has received little attention so far (Zhang, 2016). Hence, there is a need for an increased attention to and appreciation of all mediating means bilingual students use to express scientific knowledge.…”

“…In addition, since few studies have examined the use of gestures in bilingual science class (Zhang, 2016), it is difficult to compare the findings of this study to others in order to examine similarities. Hence, the generalizability of the results presented here is limited (Bryman, 2016).…”

“…In a study concerning bilingual students, Zhang (2016) investigated the teacher's use of different resources in relation to students' content learning and language development in a 6th-grade science class. The data consisted of audio and video recordings of lessons, interviews with the teacher, students, textbook pages, the teacher's and students' products, and field notes.…”

“…However, research concerning how to support bilingual students' learning in science has predominantly focused on language. Other resources, such as gestures, have received little attention so far (Zhang, 2016). To address this issue, the purpose of this article is to contribute to knowledge regarding how bilingual students not yet fluent in the language of instruction use gestures in science class.…”

Building a web in science instruction: using multiple resources in a Swedish multilingual middle school class

“…A study carried out by Jakobson and Wickman (2015) reported how, through joint activities -observing and rubbing -young children's meaning-making about leaves was promoted, cognitively, aesthetically and normatively about how to act in science class. However, Zhang (2016) argues that there are barely any studies on the use of multimodal representations in multilingual science classes. In her study on grade 6 physics, life and earth science classrooms, the results revealed gaps not only between the multimodal representations used and communication between teacher and student discourse but also between everyday and scientific language.…”