PROCEEDINGS OF THE 16TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 2)
2013
Denver, Colorado
Gestures: A Window to Mental Model Creation
Page: 2-516
Gestures are profoundly integrated into communication. This study focuses on the impact that gestures have in a mathematical setting, specifically in an undergraduate calculus workshop. We identify two types of gesture – dynamic and static – and note a strong correlation between these movements and diagrams produced. Gesture is a primary means for students to communicate their ideas to each other, giving them a quick way to share thoughts of relative motion, relationships, size, shape, and other characteristics of the problem. Dynamic and static gestures are part of the students’ thinking, affecting how they view the problem, sway group thinking, and the construction of their diagrams.