Hand Gestures Help Kids Learn Math



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Using hand gestures may help children learn mathematics better, according to a recent study. Researchers at the University of Chicago led by Miriam A. Novack, taught 90 school children how to solve a basic equation, and then assigned them to three experimental groups. One group used magnetic number tiles to solve the problem, while another mimed actions. In the third group, children solved the equation using hand gestures. The study found children in all groups learned the equation taught in the lesson, but the kids in the “abstract gesture” group learned to generalize the knowledge they learned to other equations more effectively.