Ebook: Actions Speak Loudly with Words: Unpacking Collaboration Around the Table

The potential of tabletops to enable groups of people to
simultaneously touch and manipulate a shared tabletop
interface provides new possibilities for supporting
collaborative learning. However, findings from the few
studies carried out to date have tended to show small or
insignificant effects compared with other technologies. We
present the Collaborative Learning Mechanisms framework
used to examine the coupling of verbal interactions and
physical actions in collaboration around the tabletop and
reveal subtle mechanisms at play. Analysis in this way
revealed that what might be considered undesirable or
harmful interactions and intrusions in general collaborative
settings, might be beneficial for collaborative learning. We
discuss the implications of these findings for how tabletops
may be used to support children’s collaboration, and the
value of considering verbal and physical aspects of
interaction together in this way.