Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://repository.isls.org//handle/1/2310
Title: The Role of Gesture in Solving Spatial Problems in STEM
Authors: Lira, Matthew
Stieff, Mike
Scopelitis, Stephanie
Issue Date: Jul-2012
Publisher: International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS)
Citation: Lira, M., Stieff, M., & Scopelitis, S. (2012). The Role of Gesture in Solving Spatial Problems in STEM. In van Aalst, J., Thompson, K., Jacobson, M. J., & Reimann, P. (Eds.), The Future of Learning: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2012) – Volume 2, Short Papers, Symposia, and Abstracts (pp. 406-410). Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA: International Society of the Learning Sciences.
Abstract: Gestural activity is an important component of teaching and learning in STEM disciplines. Gestures are most often observed in social settings where two or more interlocutors are engaged in natural conversation. Empirical investigations, however, suggest that gestures also play a role in individual cognition. We conducted two experiments that investigated the functional role of gestures as a strategy for solving translation problems in organic chemistry. Gestured-instructions did not promote gesture-use as a strategy. Removing instructional diagrams from view did promote gesture use. Students who did gesture did not perform better than those who did not; however, students who received gestured-instructions appeared more likely to adopt the spatial perspective of the instructor.
URI: https://doi.dx.org/10.22318/icls2012.2.406
https://repository.isls.org//handle/1/2310
Appears in Collections:ICLS 2012

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