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Chapter 13. Making and breaking common ground

How teachers use gesture to foster learning in the classroom
  • Mitchell J. Nathan , Martha W. Alibali and Ruth Breckinridge Church
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Why Gesture?
This chapter is in the book Why Gesture?

Abstract

Teachers regularly use gesture as part of multimodal instruction to both break and make common ground. Teachers break common ground when they introduce new ideas and new mathematical practices. Teachers make common ground by connecting new ideas to students’ prior knowledge and to current disciplinary practices. Our findings show the importance of linking gestures, a highly regulated aspect of pedagogical communication, which is used to foster connection building, while reducing the cognitive demands for learners. A focus on the function of pedagogical gesture for managing common ground provides an account of classroom learning that resolves the Learning Paradox by examining the establishment, maintenance and disruption of common ground.

Abstract

Teachers regularly use gesture as part of multimodal instruction to both break and make common ground. Teachers break common ground when they introduce new ideas and new mathematical practices. Teachers make common ground by connecting new ideas to students’ prior knowledge and to current disciplinary practices. Our findings show the importance of linking gestures, a highly regulated aspect of pedagogical communication, which is used to foster connection building, while reducing the cognitive demands for learners. A focus on the function of pedagogical gesture for managing common ground provides an account of classroom learning that resolves the Learning Paradox by examining the establishment, maintenance and disruption of common ground.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction
  4. Chapter 1. Understanding gesture 3
  5. Section 1. The function of gesture production for language
  6. Chapter 2. Representational gestures help speakers package information for speaking 15
  7. Chapter 3. Function and processing of gesture in the context of language 39
  8. Chapter 4. The asymmetric redundancy of gesture and speech 59
  9. Chapter 5. Gesture-speech unity 77
  10. Chapter 5 Supplement. Exchange on gesture-speech unity 103
  11. Section 2. The function of gesture for cognition and social interaction
  12. Chapter 6. The function of gesture in learning and memory 129
  13. Chapter 7. Gestures highlight perceptual-motor representations in thinking 155
  14. Chapter 8. One function of gesture is to make new ideas 175
  15. Chapter 9. Gesture in socio-moral reasoning 197
  16. Chapter 10. Multi-modal communication of common ground 213
  17. Part 2. The function of gesture comprehension
  18. Chapter 11. Exploring the boundaries of gesture-speech integration during language comprehension 243
  19. Chapter 12. Computational gesture research 267
  20. Chapter 13. Making and breaking common ground 285
  21. Chapter 14. The function of gesture in mathematical and scientific discourse in the classroom 317
  22. Chapter 15. Gesture’s role in learning interactions 331
  23. Chapter 16. The sound of silence 353
  24. Part 3. Why gesture?
  25. Chapter 17. Understanding gesture as representational action 381
  26. Chapter 18. So how does gesture function in speaking, communication, and thinking? 397
  27. Author index 413
  28. Subject index 421
https://doi.org/10.1075/gs.7.14nat

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction
  4. Chapter 1. Understanding gesture 3
  5. Section 1. The function of gesture production for language
  6. Chapter 2. Representational gestures help speakers package information for speaking 15
  7. Chapter 3. Function and processing of gesture in the context of language 39
  8. Chapter 4. The asymmetric redundancy of gesture and speech 59
  9. Chapter 5. Gesture-speech unity 77
  10. Chapter 5 Supplement. Exchange on gesture-speech unity 103
  11. Section 2. The function of gesture for cognition and social interaction
  12. Chapter 6. The function of gesture in learning and memory 129
  13. Chapter 7. Gestures highlight perceptual-motor representations in thinking 155
  14. Chapter 8. One function of gesture is to make new ideas 175
  15. Chapter 9. Gesture in socio-moral reasoning 197
  16. Chapter 10. Multi-modal communication of common ground 213
  17. Part 2. The function of gesture comprehension
  18. Chapter 11. Exploring the boundaries of gesture-speech integration during language comprehension 243
  19. Chapter 12. Computational gesture research 267
  20. Chapter 13. Making and breaking common ground 285
  21. Chapter 14. The function of gesture in mathematical and scientific discourse in the classroom 317
  22. Chapter 15. Gesture’s role in learning interactions 331
  23. Chapter 16. The sound of silence 353
  24. Part 3. Why gesture?
  25. Chapter 17. Understanding gesture as representational action 381
  26. Chapter 18. So how does gesture function in speaking, communication, and thinking? 397
  27. Author index 413
  28. Subject index 421
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