The cinematic art of teaching university mathematics: chalk talk as embodied practice

Abstract

AbstractThis article explores the multimodal nature of teaching university mathematics in international contexts. It focuses on the ‘cinematic’ art of teaching, applying a multimodal approach in the analysis of the pedagogical genre of ‘chalk talk’ as embodied disciplinary practice. The research draws on rhetorical genre studies and theories of situated learning and communities of practice. The data considered for the study consist of audio/video recorded lectures, observational notes, and semi-structured interviews collected from 50 participants teaching in 7 countries. Participants differ in linguistic, cultural, and educational backgrounds, teaching experience, and languages they use for instruction. The study suggests that a multimodal treatment of chalk talk as an embodied disciplinary pedagogical practice of teaching mathematics in the undergraduate lecture classroom allows researchers to further uncover the complexity of this genre. Better understanding the embodied pedagogical practices of the international mathematics CoP may lead to new insights regarding disciplinary-specific pedagogies.