Children Learn When Their
Teacher’s Gestures and Speech
Differ
By
Melissa A. Singer and Susan Goldin-Meadow
The study by Singer and Goldin-Meadow (2005) discusses the role of gestures in mathematics instruction, specifically how mismatched gestures (gestures that convey a different strategy than speech) influence students' learning of mathematics. The authors argue that gestures are not just a supplement to verbal instruction but can actively contribute to cognitive development.
The study explores questions:
(a) Does teaching children more than one strategy for solving a problem facilitate their mastery of the problem?
(b) Does it matter whether those strategies are presented in speech, in gesture, or in both speech and gesture?
The researchers worked with
160 third- and fourth-grade students from Chicago schools, excluding those who solved problems correctly in a pretest. Students were randomly assigned to
six questions that varied in the number of strategies (like 5+7+6=.....+6)taught in speech and the use of gestures (
no gesture, matching gesture, or mismatching gesture). During instruction, students were taught problem-solving strategies using four math problems, with each problem explained twice. In the
no-gesture condition, the teacher only used speech; in the
matching gesture condition, the teacher’s gestures reinforced the spoken strategy; and in the
mismatching gesture condition, the teacher’s gestures conveyed a different strategy from speech. After instruction, students took a posttest similar to the pretest to measure learning outcomes.
The study found that gestures helped students learn better, but only when they showed a different strategy from what was said. Students understood more when the teacher used gestures to introduce a second way to solve the problem, instead of just repeating the spoken explanation. When gestures matched speech, they didn’t add much benefit. The best results came when one strategy was explained in speech and another through gestures, making it easier for students to understand without feeling overloaded.
Stop 1
"children profit from gesture when
it conveys information that differs from the information conveyed
in speech"(p.88)
As a math teacher, when I first read this, I thought it was wrong. I always believed that clear, consistent explanations were the best way to help students understand math concepts. It seemed logical that gestures should match speech to reinforce learning rather than introduce a different strategy. However, after thinking more about it, I realized that providing multiple ways to solve a problem—one through speech and another through gestures—might actually help students process information in a deeper way.
An example is when teaching multiplication as repeated addition. I might say, "3 × 4 means adding 3 four times (3 + 3 + 3 + 3)." At the same time, instead of just repeating this idea with gestures, I could hold up three fingers on one hand and show four groups by tapping four times with my other hand, helping students visualize multiplication as grouping. This gesture introduces a different way of understanding multiplication rather than just reinforcing my words. So gestures can be more than just reinforcements; they can introduce alternative ways of thinking, which is especially helpful for diverse learners.
Stop 2
"when children are at a transitional point in acquiring a concept, they often find it easier to produce ideas relevant to that concept in gesture than in speech"(p.88)
We all know that children often use gestures before they can fully explain their thoughts in words. Gestures help them organize ideas and understand concepts more easily. In math, children might use their hands to show size, quantity, or movement before they can describe them clearly. For example, a child learning addition might hold up fingers to show numbers before saying the answer, or a student solving an equation may use hand movements to show balancing before explaining the steps. Sometimes, children even show correct ideas in gestures before they can put them into words, which means they might understand more than they can express. Gestures also make learning more engaging and interactive, helping students remember concepts better. As teachers, we can observe these gestures to understand students' thinking, encourage them to use hand movements while solving problems, and guide them toward clearer explanations.
Question
How can we use gestures effectively in the classroom to help students express and understand mathematical concepts better?
Your initial skepticism about mismatched gestures actually mirrors my own reaction. I also would have assumed that matching gestures would be the most effective way to reinforce learning. However, your example of teaching multiplication as repeated addition really helped clarify how gestures can serve as an alternative representation rather than just a repetition of speech. Your approach of visually grouping numbers through gestures makes the abstract concept more concrete and accessible, especially for diverse learners.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question, I think one way we can use gestures more effectively in the classroom is by intentionally designing activities where students physically represent mathematical concepts. (Asiya also touched on the power of embodied learning, particularly how physically engaging with concepts can create deeper cognitive connections!) For example, asking students to "act out" number patterns, algebraic transformations, or geometric relationships using their hands and bodies could help deepen their understanding. Additionally, as teachers, we could be more mindful of observing students' spontaneous gestures to gain insights into their thought processes and guide them accordingly, just as you pointed out in stop #2, where students often express ideas through gestures before verbalizing them.
This relates to ideas about ambiguity in mathematics as well. We often try to be hyper-rational, unambiguous and super-clear in our explanations as math teachers (with good reason) -- but the fact that we said something in a way that seems clear and matching to us is not always taken up as we might hope! There is a lot of intentional ambiguity in mathematics, and sometimes presenting and recognizing (and discussing) that ambiguity can be helpful too...
ReplyDeleteHi Renu,
ReplyDeleteI found your point about gestures being more than just a supplement to verbal instruction and actively contributing to cognitive development very relatable. In the article I read this week, I came across the concepts of character viewpoint gestures and observer viewpoint gestures. Character viewpoint gestures involve students using their whole body to enact a gesture from the perspective of a character, while observer viewpoint gestures are more detached. The study found that character viewpoint gestures are more effective in helping students understand concepts.
As teachers, we often use gestures unconsciously to explain various ideas, but learning about this distinction was particularly interesting. It makes me more aware of how purposeful gestures can enhance student learning.