Gesturing gives children new ideas about math

Susan Goldin-Meadow; Susan Wagner Cook; Zachary A Mitchell

doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02297.x

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Gesturing gives children new ideas about math

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Gesturing gives children new ideas about math

Susan Goldin-Meadow, Susan Wagner Cook and Zachary A Mitchell

Psychological science, Vol.20(3), pp.267-272

03/2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02297.x

PMCID: PMC2750886

PMID: 19222810

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/2750886View

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Abstract

How does gesturing help children learn? Gesturing might encourage children to extract meaning implicit in their hand movements. If so, children should be sensitive to the particular movements they produce and learn accordingly. Alternatively, all that may matter is that children move their hands. If so, they should learn regardless of which movements they produce. To investigate these alternatives, we manipulated gesturing during a math lesson. We found that children required to produce correct gestures learned more than children required to produce partially correct gestures, who learned more than children required to produce no gestures. This effect was mediated by whether children took information conveyed solely in their gestures and added it to their speech. The findings suggest that body movements are involved not only in processing old ideas, but also in creating new ones. We may be able to lay foundations for new knowledge simply by telling learners how to move their hands.

Learning

Attitude

Gestures

Humans

Problem Solving

Female

Male

Mathematics

Child

Details

Title: Subtitle: Gesturing gives children new ideas about math
Creators: Susan Goldin-Meadow - University of Chicago, 5730 South Woodlawn Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, USA. sgm@uchicago.edu
Susan Wagner Cook
Zachary A Mitchell
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Psychological science, Vol.20(3), pp.267-272
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02297.x
PMID: 19222810
PMCID: PMC2750886
NLM abbreviation: Psychol Sci
ISSN: 1467-9280
eISSN: 1467-9280
Publisher: United States
Grant note: R01 HD047450 / NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD047450-01 / NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD047450-05 / NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD047450-03 / NICHD NIH HHS R01HD47450 / NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD047450-02 / NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD047450-04 / NICHD NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 03/2009
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984002477802771

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