Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Learning, Design, and Technology pp 1–21Cite as

Considerations for the Design of Gesture-Augmented Learning Environments

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

  • 294 Accesses

Abstract

A new genre of learning technologies is emerging that integrates computer simulations with physical or “embodied” interactions such as hand gestures. While this genre presents new opportunities for innovative digital environments that physically engage learners, there is very little guidance on how to design these environments to optimize learning. This chapter presents considerations specifically for the design of gesture-augmented learning environments. Design considerations are discussed in three main areas related to (1) what gestural interactions are used, (2) constraints of the learning environment, and (3) what social and contextual supports are offered. The term considerations is used rather than principles or guidelines to highlight the real tradeoffs and legitimate decisions to be made when designing gesture-based technologies for learning. These considerations are illustrated with detailed examples from a project that implements students’ gestures as the primary method of interaction with digital science simulations. Although the examples specifically pertain to learning in science, the considerations are framed such that they can be applied to a broad range of domains.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Abrahamson, D., & Lindgren, R. (2014). Embodiment and embodied design. In Cambridge handbook of the Learning Sciences (2nd ed., pp. 358–376). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9781139519526.022.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Alibali, M. W., & Nathan, M. J. (2012). Embodiment in mathematics teaching and learning: Evidence from learners’ and teachers’ gestures. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 21, 247–286. 10.1080/10508406.2011.611446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Black, J. B., Segal, A., Vitale, J., & Fadjo, C. (2012). Embodied cognition and learning environment design. In D. Jonassen & S. Lamb (Eds.), Theoretical foundations of student-centered learning environments (2nd ed., pp. 198–223). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chase, C. C., Chin, D. B., Oppezzo, M. A., & Schwartz, D. L. (2009). Teachable agents and the protégé effect: Increasing the effort towards learning. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 18, 334–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clement, J. (2013). Roles for explanatory models and analogies in conceptual change. In S. Vosniadou (Ed.), International handbook of research on conceptual change (2nd ed., pp. 412–446). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins, A., Brown, J. S., & Newman, S. E. (1989). Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the crafts of reading, writing, and mathematics. In L. B. Resnick (Ed.), Knowing, learning and instruction: Essays in honour of Robert Glaser (pp. 453–494). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum & Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dourish, P. (2001). Where the action is: The foundations of embodied interaction. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engelkamp, J., & Zimmer, H. D. (1994). The human memory: A multi-modal approach. Seattle, WA: Hogrefe & Huber.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flood, V. J., Amar, F. G., Nemirovsky, R., Harrer, B. W., Bruce, M. R. M., & Wittmann, M. C. (2014). Paying attention to gesture when students talk chemistry: Interactional resources for responsive teaching. Journal of Chemical Education, 92, 11–22. 10.1021/ed400477b.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher, S. (2005). How the body shapes the mind. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, J. J. (1962). Observations on active touch. Psychological Review, 69, 477–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, J. J. (1979). The ecological approach to visual perception. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldin-Meadow, S. (2005). Hearing gesture: How our hands help us think. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldin-Meadow, S., Cook, S. W., & Mitchell, Z. a. (2009). Gesturing gives children new ideas about math. Psychological Science, 20, 267–272. 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02297.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han, I., & Black, J. B. (2011). Incorporating haptic feedback in simulation for learning physics. Computers & Education, 57, 2281–2290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hannafin, M., & Peck, K. (1988). The design, development, and evaluation of instructional software. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartman, B. A., Miller, B. K., & Nelson, D. L. (2000). The effects of hands-on occupation versus demonstration on children’s recall memory. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 54, 477–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hostetter, A. B., & Alibali, M. W. (2008). Visible embodiment: Gestures as simulated action. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 15, 495–514. 10.3758/PBR.15.3.495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isbister, K., & Mueller, F. F. (2015). Guidelines for the design of movement-based games and their relevance to HCI. Human Computer Interaction, 30, 366–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson-Glenberg, M. C., Birchfield, D. A., Tolentino, L., & Koziupa, T. (2014a). Collaborative embodied learning in mixed reality motion-capture environments: Two science studies. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106, 86–104. 10.1037/a0034008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson-Glenberg, M. C., Savio-Ramos, C., & Henry, H. (2014b). “Alien Health”: A nutrition instruction exergame using the kinect sensor. Games for Health: Research, Development, and Clinical Applications, 3, 241–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson-Glenberg, M. C., Megowan-Romanowicz, C., Birchfield, D. A., & Savio-Ramos, C. (2016). Effects of embodied learning and digital platform on the retention of physics content: Centripetal force. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1–22. 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01819.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, M., Roth, W. M., & Thom, J. (2011). Children’s gestures and the embodied knowledge of geometry. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 9, 207–238. 10.1007/s10763-010-9240-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindgren, R. (2015). Getting into the cue: Embracing technology-facilitated body movements as a starting point for learning. In V. R. Lee (Ed.), Learning technologies and the body: Integration and implementation in formal and informal learning environments (pp. 39–54). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindgren, R., & Johnson-Glenberg, M. C. (2013). Emboldened by embodiment: Six precepts for research on embodied learning and mixed reality. Educational Researcher, 42, 445–452. 10.3102/0013189X13511661.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindgren, R., Wallon, R. C., Brown, D. E., Mathayas, N., & Kimball, N. (2016). “Show me” what you mean: Learning and design implications of eliciting gesture in student explanations. In C. Looi, J. Polman, U. Cress, & P. Reimann (Eds.), Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference of the Learning Sciences (pp. 1014–1017). Singapore: National Institute of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathayas, N., Brown, D. E., & Lindgren, R. (2016). Exploring middle school students’ sense making of a computer simulation about thermal conduction. In C. Looi, J. Polman, U. Cress, & P. Reimann (Eds.), Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference of the Learning Sciences (pp. 1267–1268). Singapore: National Institute of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNeill, D. (1992). Hand and mind: What gestures reveal about thought. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen, M., Störring, M., Moeslund, T. B., & Granum, E. (2003). A procedure for developing intuitive and ergonomic gesture interfaces for HCI. In International gesture workshop (pp. 409–420). Springer: Heidelberg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paek, S. (2012). The impact of multimodal virtual manipulatives on young children’s mathematics learning (doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest dissertations & theses full text (3554708). Ann Arbor, MI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Preece, J., Rogers, Y., & Sharp, H. (2002). Interaction design: Beyond human-computer interaction. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radford, L. (2009). Why do gestures matter? Sensuous cognition and the palpability of mathematical meanings. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 70, 111–126. 10.1007/s10649-008-9127-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Resnick, M. (2002). Rethinking learning in the digital age. In G. S. Kirkman, P. K. Cornelius, J. D. Sachs, & K. Schwab (Eds.), The global information technology report 2001–2002: Readiness for the networked world. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roth, W.-M. (2001). Gestures: Their role in teaching and learning. Review of Educational Research, 71, 365–392. 10.3102/00346543071003365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, R. N. (2010). Considering the activity in interactivity: A multimodal perspective (doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest dissertations & theses full text (3404551). Ann Arbor, MI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Segal, A. (2011). Do gestural interfaces promote thinking? Embodied interaction: Congruent gestures and direct touch promote performance in math (doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest dissertations & theses full text (3453956). Ann Arbor, MI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, L. (2010). Embodied cognition. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singer, M., Radinsky, J., & Goldman, S. R. (2008). The role of gesture in meaning construction. Discourse Processes, 45, 365–386. 10.1080/01638530802145601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wallon, R. C., Brown, D. E., & Lindgren, R. (2016). Student gestures during shifts from descriptions to explanations of gas pressure. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Baltimore, MD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, M. (2002). Six views of embodied cognition. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9, 625–636. 10.3758/BF03196322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoon, C., Thomas, M. O., & Dreyfus, T. (2011). Gestures and insight in advanced mathematical thinking. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 42, 891–901.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE-1432424. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1310 S. Sixth St, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA

    Robert C. Wallon & Robb Lindgren

Authors
  1. Robert C. Wallon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Robb Lindgren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert C. Wallon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Info, Ste G150, Univ of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA

    Michael J Spector

  2. School of Education, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

    Barbara B Lockee

  3. School of Education, Baker University, Overland Park, Kansas, USA

    Marcus D. Childress

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Wallon, R.C., Lindgren, R. (2017). Considerations for the Design of Gesture-Augmented Learning Environments. In: Spector, M., Lockee, B., Childress, M. (eds) Learning, Design, and Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17727-4_75-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17727-4_75-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-17727-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-17727-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation