Toward a Multimodal Approach of Science Teaching

International audienceMajor studies in science education have analyzed teaching based on verbal or written mode. Some researches suggest a multimodal approach. Our research studies how a Greek teacher of Physics in a ninth grade classroom uses several modalities to teach the concept of potential energy. Based on the precepts of Interaction Analysis, we analyzed video until a common agreement about the criteria was established. The results show that teacher performed different aspects of potential energy by usin g scenery, scenic objects and iconic bodily movements. The concept of potential energy can be more effective if teachers take into consid eration these modalities