"People gesture when they talk."
"Teachers gesture when they teach, and those gestures do not always convey the same information as to their speech."
Summary:
The previous researches show that when gestures are presented simultaneously and align with a spoken message, the listeners do better at receiving and understanding the message. In this article, however, Singer and Goldin-Meadow point out that gesture per se did not promote learning—only gestures that conveyed mismatching information led to improved performance. Mismatching gestures refer to the gestures that do not match the information conveyed in the speech it accompanies. In addition, they also discover that teachers spontaneously increase the number of gesture-speech mismatches in their instruction when teaching children who are on the cusp of learning the task.
My stops:
1. The example of mismatching gesture in the article
The example that Singer and Goldin-Meadow gave in the article makes me confused at first reading, the example as follows:
"When giving a child instruction in how to solve the problem 7+6+5= +5, a teacher articulated the equalizer problem-solving strategy in speech:' We need to make this side equal to this side.' At the same time, she conveyed a grouping strategy in gesture: She pointed at the 7 and the 6 on the left side of the equation and then at the blank on the right side."
I am thinking about why it is a mismatching gesture here (I thought it is a matched gesture when I was first introduced to this example.) Now, I might get the point of what the author tried to deliver. The speech of the teacher in the example was talking about two sides of the equation, but her gesture just highlighted two parts of the equation (7 and 6 on the left side and the blank on the right side, rather than the whole equation.) I hope I have figured out the meaning of mismatching gestures now.
It is a surprising result that mismatching gestures enhance students' performance in mathematics class. I hold the same opinion as the previous research that the children are likely to profit from instruction with matching gestures. But here in the example, I don't think the mismatching gesture help student to think of this question, but bring their attention from the principle of the equation to focusing on arithmetic (the blank is equal to 7+6).
2. Gestures in the mathematics classroom
I regularly use pointing gestures in mathematics lessons. When I point to objects or text on the chalkboard, those pointing gestures link my speech to its referents. In addition, I think students also frequently use pointing gestures when they speak. I don't think I can finish a mathematics lesson without a gesture which is a powerful tool for children’s math learning.
Question:
Could you recall an experience using a mismatching gesture in your mathematics class? (Please tell me more about your opinion of mismatching gestures because I am not sure if I understand it correctly.)
Hello Jianying,
回复删除I agree with you on this argument. I think the gestures that are synchronized with speech would enhance students learning. When I think about mismatched gestures, I get even surprised that how can teachers make gestures that are not matched to their speech. For gestures and speech, all commands come from our brain and if our gesture is mismatched with our speech, that means our body and mind are not connected, we are not conscious of what we are saying and doing. If someone consciously wants to mismatch their gesture and speech, how is s/he going to do that!
I am not getting the point that the author wants to make. But, as I think about it, it seems that a mismatched gesture might make students feel something is different, and thus attract them towards the lesson? Students might wonder that teacher was not supposed to make this mismatched gesture and try to find out the differences. That's how it enhance their learning? I don't know if that makes any sense or not.
The example that you mentioned does not seem like a mismatched gesture, it seems that teacher is working with small parts and trying to guide students to focus on only the portion of that equation that needs calculation. To me, it is the most matched gesture, only pointing to the parts that need to be fixed. If this is called mismatched gesture, then it definitely is effective.
According to what you described, I’m sure I use many mismatched gestures as well as matched gestures. I was also confused by how that the example provided was mismatched at first, but I guess it points out only one part of the example. If that is the case, I’m sure I highlight only certain parts of what I am explaining often, in which case I would be using many mismatched gestures. Recently in class we were discussing equivalent fractions using multiplication and division with a blank.
回复删除Ex: 2/5 = /10 But I often relate the equation using arrows, what was 5 multiplied by to get 10. Multiplied by 2 so then 2x2 = 4. 2/5 = 4/10. But now that I think about it, I was pointing more to the arithmetic rather than the blank. I also drew pictures using circles to show the same amount of “cake” but with different sized slices. Pictures help with comprehension but is this a mismatched gesture?
It's interesting that we often tend to think that an organized mind will have everything neatly lined up and literally matching, all the time. And yet, we are also quite capable of associating ideas and of thinking of two or more things in relation to one another. Not everything has to be 'matchy-matchy' in math class -- and in fact, NOT matching may be positively beneficial!
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