Interactive Whiteboard: A Catalyst for Student Use of Gestures

In a qualitative study we have observed and analyzed the interactions of small groups of high school students who collaboratively investigated orbital motion in a gravitational field using a virtual experiment on an interactive whiteboard. We have observed that during the activity, students communicated not only by talking, but that an important part of the communication was through body and hand gestures. In the talk, we will show how using gestures in combination with spoken language helped students express complex ideas and communicate them to other students without the need for using advanced vocabulary that students were still not familiar with. Student use of gestures can be encouraged by providing them with an appropriate content, environment, and tools for inquiry.