Viewing to Learn

Abstract

This study investigates the interplay between language, image, and gesture in science teaching in the school. It applies the theoretical framework of systemic functional semiotics, and the investigative method of pedagogic register analysis, to construct a detailed description of intermodal pedagogic practice. The approach is illustrated with a secondary science lesson that can be viewed online. The lesson is analysed from three perspectives: the structuring of learning activities, the interplay between verbal, visual, and gestural modalities in these activities, and teacher/learner interactions that negotiate the intermodal activities. Consistent patterns emerge in the global structures of lesson activities, and in micro-structures of interactions, in the ways that teachers orient learners to fields of study, guide their attention to salient elements of images and texts, and use their perceptions to build technical knowledge. The analyses offer an appliable resource for designing effective pedagogic practice using images.