Explorations on visual attention during collaborative problem solving

Abstract

In this plenary, I reflect on the MathTrack reseach project that examines the role of visual attention in the multimodal social interaction in the classroom contexts of collaborative non-routine problem solving. The project is using multiple mobile eye-tracking devices to record teacher and student visual attention when students work in groups solving a non-routine geometry problem. Project outcomes include methodological innovations for working with eye movement data, findings about joint representational attention, and the importance of eye contact in teacher-student interaction. Our experience suggests that eye movement research in classrooms should focus on analysing visual processes and making within-person analyses.