A helping hand in outdoor mathematics – The role of gestures in mathematics trails

Abstract

Mathematics trails provide learners with opportunities to leave the classroom to discover and engage with mathematics outdoors, using real-world objects and structures. Students are immersed in mathematical problems that require them to think about and make connections between the mathematics learned in the classroom and how this knowledge can be applied in a novel context. In this qualitative study, participants engaged in a mathematics trail, during which we observed a significant use of gestures in the interactions between group members and the physical objects that formed the basis of the mathematical problems. Seeing a connection to the idea of embodiment, we pay particular attention to the types and functions of those gestures that emerged in the outdoor mathematics trail context.