Using multimodality to support cognitive loading in Maths: A Case Study

The study of multimodality, as explained by Bezemer (2012), ‘focuses on analysing and describing the full repertoire of meaning-making resources that people use (visual, spoken, gestural, written, three-dimensional, and others, depending on the domain of representation) in different contexts, and on developing means that show how these are organized to make meaning’. When I first started reintroducing textbooks into my mathematics teaching on a regular basis, I became aware that the quantity of language in my ‘teacher-talk’ decreased and non-verbal gestures increased. I began to say less and to direct students to the images in the book to pose mathematical questions and to see a complete image of the mathematical concept, rather than watch as I drew a model as part of my explanation. The multimodal nature of the lessons shifted; at the same time, I also noticed that a specific group of students who found mathematics difficult were able to understand concepts and make connect