The Role of Gesture in Learning

University Of Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

The gestures that children produce when they talk reflect what they know. But gesturing can also change what children know, and, in this way, play a role in learning. The NSF-funded research project by Susan Goldin-Meadow at the University of Chicago explores how the impact that gesture has on learning is related to the actions that gestures represent. Specifically, Goldin-Meadow and her colleagues will study whether an action gesture is as good as, or perhaps even better than, the action itself in promoting learning. Gesture has the potential to shape learning more effectively than action itself, precisely because gesture can focus the learner's attention on those specific aspects of an action that are particularly relevant to solving a task. Recent research has asked if gesture impacts learning, and has found that it does. The current research asks how gesture impacts learning, in hopes of developing better ways to manipulate gesture to maximize learning. By manipulating the gestures that children either produce or see their teachers produce during instruction, Goldin-Meadow and colleagues will explore the ways in which producing or perceiving gestures that vary in their similarity to direct action influences learning. One major goal of this research project is to harness gesture to maximize learning, taking fullest advantage of all communication modalities that spontaneously arise in teaching and learning situations. Like any tool for teaching and learning, gesture may be used more or less effectively. For example, some gestures may highlight action components that facilitate learning, whereas others highlight components that are distracting and get in the way of learning. This research project explores which types of gestures promote learning at different points in the learning process. In this way, the research promises to advance the knowledge-base underlying best practices that optimize teaching and classroom performance. As an example, it may be possible to alter the rate and types of gestures children produce, and thus improve learning. This is important because children vary quite a bit in the number of gestures they spontaneously produce. Interestingly, children from lower socio-economic homes tend to produce fewer spontaneous gestures than children from higher socio-economic homes. Moreover, gesturing may be particularly useful in situations where acting directly on objects is not practical.