A wide variety of scientific literature suggests that there is a strong connection between gesturing and learning. Gestures naturally accompany spoken language and communication, and their intentful inclusion in learning has proven to be beneficial in aiding the cognitive process. Research has found that gesturing can help direct attention and supplement the learning process in a traditional learning environment (Wakefield et al., 2017). This association between the physical and mental aspects associated with learning can be extended beyond the traditional learning environment. Gesturing, as well as other physical activity, has also been found to positively aid the linguistic development of children learning a foreign language (Toumpaniari et al., 2015). The combination of these two findings show that learning can be enriched when its connection to the physical senses is taken advantage of.
When gesturing was applied to learning how to solve a mathematical problem, students in the condition that paired gesturing with speech showed a significant advantage over students in the condition that employed only speech (Wakefield et al., 2017). The set-up of the study also measured the visual attention of the participants and how it related to gesturing by tracking eye movements. In doing so, researchers found that gesturing can successfully guide visual attention, which in turn better facilitates learning (Wakefield et al., 2017). This connection is significant in the implications it holds for a learning environment. Thus far, the primary form of teaching has been lecturing, which is very heavily reliant on speech. Instructors have traditionally relied on speech alone to facilitate the learning process, and the study by Wakefield and colleagues shows that this manner of learning is less effective than learning supplemented by gesturing. Furthermore, the study conducted by Wakefield and colleagues established gesture as a moderator on the effect of looking patterns and learning. This finding is significant because of the implications it holds for the physical set-up of learning systems. Most classrooms are structured to show PowerPoints and other still images that do not rely on gesturing or visual direction. The Wakefield and colleagues study shows that this method of learning is less efficient.
The study conducted by Toumpaniari and colleagues takes the connection between physical movement and learning to a broader level, and discusses how overarching physical activity as well as gesturing may better facilitate learning. Unlike the Wakefield and colleagues study, the Toumpaniari and colleagues study looked at foreign language vocabulary rather than mathematics. In doing so, they found that enactment in learning adds to the memory retrieval of events and makes the retrieval pathway richer (Toumpaniari et al., 2015). Furthermore, the study established that physical activity and its association with creating a state of physical excitement and stimulation can increase the efficiency of neuronal processes (Toumpaniari et al., 2015). This study shows incorporating physical elements into the learning process beyond just gesturing can further facilitate learning and memory retrieval. This implies that the traditional classroom set-up may not be the most efficient in regards to promoting active learning. Because the traditional classroom and learning experience is primarily sedentary and tends not to utilize movement to a great extent, it may be using the less efficient form of learning. Furthermore, the memory encoding process may not be as rich as it could be because it is not coupled with somatic processes.
These two studies together apply to the real-world in that they show that current methods of teaching and learning set-ups may not cultivate a very efficient learning environment. Wakefield’s study showed that gesturing can greatly facilitate attention. Toumpaniari’ s study showed that physical activity and dynamic movement can promote memory encoding and facilitate learning. Both studies show that incorporating more somatic elements into the learning process facilitates both the attention and engagement of learners. These studies can be used to modify the current learning environment to better cater to the needs of learners. Furthermore, they can also prove to be strategies that teachers can use to supplement the traditional teaching set-up. These findings may be particularly beneficial for students that struggle to learn in traditional classrooms, such as students with ADHD. Learners can benefit through the incorporation of physical elements in the learning process.
Works Cited
Toumpaniari, Konstantina, et al. “Preschool Children’s Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning by Embodying Words through Physical Activity and Gesturing.” Educational Psychology Review, vol. 27, no. 3, 2015, pp. 445–456., https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9316-4.
Wakefield, Elizabeth, et al. “Gesture Helps Learners Learn, but Not Merely by Guiding Their Visual Attention.” Developmental Science, vol. 21, no. 6, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12664.
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