Importance of Hand Gestures in Learning

We all know that education is something that is highly stressed in our generation and will continue to be stressed in generations to come. But, how is that we still have students that are below grade level and not excelling academically? I believe that the methods used to teach youth in schools are not effective and could be the cause of why children are not grasping knowledge at a rate they should be. Ignoring all learning disabilities, we still have children who cannot meet state standards and therefore are not getting the proper education they need.


 Wakefield, James and James conducted studies at the University of Chicago that stresses the importance of  hand gestures in the learning process. In the study, one group of children were taught a math problem in which hand gestures were used to teach that math problem and one group severed as the control in which no hand gestures were used. The group that was taught through gestures did significantly better in recognizing and performance of those math problems then the group that was not taught through gesture.

FMRi scans revealed that the BOLD ( blood-oygen-level-dependent) activation was monitored in all subjects of the study. Participants were asked to complete the task in the FMRi machine and then BOLD levels were recorded. The participants in the study that involved hand gestures show significant activation throughout the brain compared to the control group. This means that more connections were used throughout the brain in solving the task, therefore the task was easier to recall and be completed correctly. The more connections made in the brain, the more likely the memory is to respond to said connection.

This study is very important in regards to how children in the years to come will can be educated. This research shows the importance of hand gestures with speech in the learning phase and demonstrates more activation in the brain when gestures are used. With this knowledge, we can start to change how classroom work is done in the education system. We can also expand research interests and see how hands-on learning may also aid in the learning process. With a country so focused on education of the young and many children struggling  to get by, studies such as this can aid teaches in a direction that will help students in years to come.