education and technology, technology

IntroductionResearch studies have shown that individualswho make hand gestures learn better than the oneswho do not (eg, Alibali & Goldin-Meadow, 1993; Broaders, Cook, Mitchell & Goldin-Meadow,2007). For instance, when children use their hands while they are explaining how they solvemathematical equivalence problems (eg, 6 + 4 +5 = _ + 5), they perform better in post-tests(Broaders et al, 2007). Comprehension and, consequently, memory are improved by these acts(Stevanoni & Salmon, 2005). In addition, gestures facilitate deep and long-lasting learning(Cutica & Bucciarelli, 2008).Several proposals have been put forward to explainwhy gestures enhance learning.To begin with,Beilock and Goldin-Meadow (2010) have suggested that including motor actions into mentalrepresentations is responsible for performance improvements. Learners may produce integratedand richer representations when they describe a procedure with gestures (Alibali & Goldin-Meadow, 1993; McNeill, 1992). By means of gestures, people can externalise their thoughts(Clark, 1999), and as a result, more cognitive resources become available for learning from thelimited resources of the mind (Goldin-Meadow & Wagner, 2005).