Naturalistic observations: Embodied learning of fractions in elementary classrooms

Previous studies have shown that students’ embodied responses – actions and gestures – can support their learning, yet little is known about how to engage students with these in the classroom. To address this, we observed the same fraction lesson, taught by 11 different teachers. We identified students’ mathematics-related embodiments and traced back to how and by whom they were prompted. We found that about two-thirds of all embodied responses were prompted by teachers. However, the type of prompt mattered: students provided richer embodied responses to higher order than to factual prompts. We also searched for these prompts during adjacent moments, to assess the probability they would lead to embodied responses while considering the same ideas. Regression analysis indicated that students were likely to engage in embodied responses when they were self-prompted, during elaborations, and after higher-order prompts. This study provides new insights about the conditions that support students’ embodied mathematical expressions.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Reyes Denis, Tiffany

Contributors dc:contributor

• Perry, Michelle

• Gestures
• Grounded Cognition
• Embodied Learning
• Prompts
• Fractions

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Tiffany Reyes Denis

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124594

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F124594