SL- CN: The role of gesture in mathematics learning: from research to practice

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

This Science of Learning Collaborative Network brings together researchers and practitioners at the University of Chicago and Northeastern Illinois University to investigate the impact of nonverbal cues on math learning, and to develop online math lessons accessible to diverse learners based on this research-based evidence. Online education offers the promise that it can serve as an "equity lever" by making education accessible to all children, including low-income and disadvantaged children. But it is not clear that online teaching is as effective as face-to-face teaching, in part because it eliminates many of the nonverbal cues, including gesture, that have been found to promote learning. This network will conduct basic research exploring the impact that nonverbal cues have on math learning in both deaf and hearing children, and then use this research to develop online instruction that makes effective use of nonverbal cues for diverse learners. Deaf scientists are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, suggesting a pipeline problem for deaf students and highlighting a need to improve math teaching for these students. The studies will also consider the socioeconomic levels of the homes from which the students come, and thus have relevance not only to learners who come to school from privileged backgrounds, but also to learners who have access to fewer resources. This Science of Learning Collaborative Network consists of collaborators representing ten universities from psychology, linguistics, computer science, and neuroscience with three types of expertise: scientists who study gesture and its role in learning math and science; scientists who study language development from a linguistic perspective; and scientists who are at the intersection of basic and applied research, and are involved in educational practice or policy and technology development. The purpose of the network is three-fold: (1) To advance knowledge of the impact that nonverbal cues have on mathematics instruction. (2) To explore whether nonverbal cues have different effects on different learners, in particular hearing vs. deaf learners from low vs. high SES homes. (3) To translate research into practice by developing an online teaching tool that is accessible to learners with diverse backgrounds. The proposed studies involve presenting lessons on mathematical equivalence and fraction magnitudes in different input mediums to different groups of learners. The studies include quantitative measures of behavioral and neurological learning outcomes. The research findings will be used to inform the development of online math lessons that can be adapted to the needs of different types of learners. The award is from the Science of Learning-Collaborative Networks (SL-CN) Program, with funding from the SBE Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS), the SBE Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (SMA), the EHR Core Research (ECR) Program, and the CISE Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS).