Gesture while learning or explaining

Move your hands to trace or enact what you are thinking — it aids comprehension and recall.

Why it works

Gesture activates the sensorimotor cortex in parallel with language comprehension, providing a second representational channel. Research finds that gesture during learning reduces cognitive load by partially offloading conceptual simulation onto the motor system. Teachers who gesture produce better student comprehension; learners who are allowed to gesture retain more than those who are physically constrained.

How to do it

1. When explaining a concept to yourself or others, let your hands trace the structure — use space to show relationships.
2. When stuck on an abstract problem, try physically enacting the problem scenario.
3. After learning something new, explain it aloud with gesture before reviewing your notes.

Evidence

Multiple experiments find that gesturing during instruction improves learner retention and problem-solving, and that preventing gesture impairs performance on complex tasks. Goldin-Meadow’s lab has produced substantial evidence on this. (observational)

Most research is on children or in instructional contexts; the exact benefit for adult self-study is less well quantified.

Sources

• Goldin-Meadow & Singer (2003), "From children’s hands to adults’ ears: gesture’s role in the learning process", Developmental Psychology

Common mistake

Suppressing gesture to appear calm or professional in a high-stakes explanation, which simultaneously degrades your own thinking quality at exactly the moment it matters most.