That’s right, sometimes it appears that our hands are aware of something before we are conscious of it ourselves. In Mirroring People, neuroscientist Marco Iacoboni ( 2008) offers the following example:
…When we cannot find the proper word to express ourselves, hand gestures can help in the retrieval of the missing word. At other times, gestures provide information that the words themselves do not provide. For instance, kids often use a dual format to explain the math concepts they are learning. One problem-solving procedure is stated with words, a different procedure with gestures. In fact, these speech-gesture mismatches indicate a transitional, expected phase in the learning process. Say a child is asked to solve the problem 5 + 4 + 3 = _ + 3. Her incorrect verbal response (“I added the 5, the 4, the 3, and the 3, and I got 15”) may not reveal any awareness of the concept of an equation. However, if her hand moves under the left side of the equation, then stops, then moves again under the right side of the equation, the movement reveals that her mind is starting to grasp the concept that an equation has two sides that are separate but somehow related…” (p. 80).
While the student appears unaware of the concept of equations, her hands indicate the understanding is under construction.
Recently, Science Daily reported on a University of Chicago study that suggests gesturing aids students in learning, not just recall. In the study, students were taught gestures at the same time the teacher presented new concepts in math. The results: “Students who repeated the correct gesture during the lesson solved more problems correctly than students who repeated the partially correct gesture, who, in turn, solved more problems correctly than students who repeated only the words” (ScienceDaily, 2009).
This study suggests that gestures are not only valuable for aiding recall of previously learned material, but also for constructing understanding of new concepts. Gestures aid learning!
What does this mean for the classroom? For starters, we should encourage our students to use their hands when expressing themselves, especially when they communicate complex ideas. Second, we should examine our instructional material for concepts that may capitalize on gesturing to aid learning. By teaching students the gestures as part of the presentation, we may empower them to construct deeper understanding of these concepts and to do so more quickly than with words alone.
Get students' hands moving. Gesturing aids both recall and learning—two cognitive activities at the center of education.
Sources
Iacoboni, M. (2008). Mirroring people: The new science of how we connect with others. New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.
ScienceDaily (2009). Gestures lend a hand in learning mathematics; hand movements help create new ideas. Downloaded from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090224133204.htm.
