Cook, S. W., Mitchell, Z., & Goldin-Meadow, S. (2008). Gesturing makes learning last. Cognition, 106, 1047-1058.
The authors conducted an experimental study to see whether gesturing merely reflects a readiness to learn new knowledge, or is itself actively involved in the construction of new knowledge. The participants included eighty-four third and fourth grade children. They were asked to complete a mathematical pretest then only those who did not produce any correct answer were included in the study. Children were divided into three groups who were assigned different learning conditions: 1)gesture, 2)gesture+speech, and 3) speech group. Pupils in the first and second group were taught to use certain gestures during instruction, while those in the third group used only speech. Then, they completed a posttest. It was found that all groups solved comparable numbers of problems during instruction and on the immediate posttest. Four weeks later, participants completed a follow-up test. The three groups did differ in how well they maintained the knowledge gained during instruction. In the Speech group, the relation between instruction and learning was relatively weak. In this condition, many children who had improved after instruction failed to maintain their gains on follow-up.
The authors argue that when children are asked to instantiate a new concept in their hands, learning is more lasting than when they are asked to instantiate it in words alone. Gesturing has a clear effect on our long-term memories. Moreover, they suggest that "gesturing play a causal role in learning, perhaps by giving learners an alternative, embodied way of representing new ideas." Finally, the researchers recommend instructors to encourage children to move their hands as a way to improve and enhance their learning.
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