Emergent mathematical thinking in interaction: a multimodal analysis of reading aloud-sessions at kindergarten
| Author: | Gosen, Myrte |
| Abstract: | |
| Children are expected to explore ways of mathematical thinking by participating in a longitudinal reading-aloud program at kindergarten, where discussions about math play a major role (Heuvel-Panhuizen et al., 2008). The central question of this paper is how gestures function in interactions in which children show initial understanding of some mathematical principles. Gestures have been linked to understanding before. For example, Goldin-Meadow et al. (2009) showed that producing gestures supports mathematical development. Gestures are even described as a window on thought. However, experimental studies do not reveal the form and nature of ‘understanding-gestures’ in natural interactions and the way these gestures are taken up by the participants. We used conversation analysis that includes gestures (inspired by a.o. Schegloff, 1984; Streeck, 2009) to study 12 reading-aloud sessions with children from 4-6. Children use talk and gestures simultaneously. While talking about math, children sometimes produce accompanying gestures that give additional or different information about their understanding of math. We will show how the participants respond to these instances where talk and gestures do not completely correspond. With this multimodal analysis of reading-aloud sessions we will demonstrate that gestures can be helpful by analyzing teacher-child and peer interactions in a sociocultural learning perspective. |
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