A new study has shown that teachers using hand gestures can be effective in improving students' learning abilities, according to a Science Daily report.
Study shows that if teachers used gesturing while teaching, it can be beneficial for students to grasp and learn more effectively. The report also noted that the teachers in the United States do not use hand gestures while teaching as much as it is practiced in other countries. The study presents strongest evidence of positive and long-lasting effects on learning abilities among students who are taught using hand gestures.
Kimberly Fenn, study co-author and assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University, said that hand gestures used in teaching can have long-lasting effects and can be easily adapted. Fenn worked with Ryan Duffy of Michigan State University and Susan Cook of the University of Iowa, demonstrating the method of hand gestures practiced in Michigan elementary classrooms.
The study included 184 students of second, third and fourth grade. Students were divided in two groups and were taught differently. Students were shown videos where instructor used speech and hand gestures to teach algebra to one group while the other group of students were taught by only speech.
Students from both the groups were given a test soon after the learning session and the results showed that students who were taught with speech and hand gestures performed well than the students who were taught using only speech.
Researchers later conducted another test after 24 hours and found improvement in students' performance who learned with speech and hand gestures, but speech-only students showed no such improvement, said the report.
Students taught with speech and hand gestures were able to use the knowledge in new context. For example: students used the knowledge from addition based equation into multiplication based equations. Fenn said that if the hand gestures can help in improving learning capabilities in students, it can help build a stronger foundation which can be helpful in higher levels of mathematics.
The study is published in a renowned educational psychology journal, Child Development.
