As described by Lee and Orgill, 2022, the abstract nature of chemical concepts and highly technical language are often barriers for students. Symmetry and group theory, a widely taught topic in inorganic chemistry, exemplifies this barrier. We recently redesigned a model-building activity on this topic to mitigate these barriers and focus students on symmetry element identification. During the activity we saw students begin to use unprompted gestures. The most common gestures, such as pointing with the index finger or flattening the whole hand in line with the transverse plane of the body, were used by students across separate semesters. Collected audio and video evidence suggests these gestures had communicative functions between students. Additionally, these gestures were used to reify or occasionally disprove the existence of symmetry elements to oneself. In this presentation we will discuss student interviews about these gestures, including the origin, perception and utility of certain shared gestures used by students.

Gestures embodying symmetry elements: Interviews from undergraduates in the inorganic chemistry laboratory

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.