Comprehension Through Gesticulation
On Reading and Movement
Acting out the words of a text improves comprehension. I came to this conclusion following two observations:
- Some people find it easier to concentrate while playing with an unrelated object (e.g. twirling a pencil between their fingers), and;
- When I attempt to explain something to another person, I unconsciously gesticulate, moving my arms to convey my meaning.
I conjectured that my ability to concentrate while reading would improve if I moved my hands to act out the words as I read them.
I experimented with comprehension through conscious gesticulation while reading George Eliot’s Silas Marner, a classic English novel, written with long, complex sentences; interspersed with colloquial dialogue that can be difficult to follow. I concluded that it does indeed help. Seemingly it forces the reader to slow down and consider every word and every scene. This helps the reader to follow the author's vision and become absorbed in the novel. A similar method of aiding comprehension is to imagine the scenes described in the novel.
Comprehension is akin to digestion of information. Granting yourself the time to digest each scene should reduce the risk of becoming bored and distracted. Just as gesticulating while talking helps the speaker to engage the listener, gesticulating while reading helps the reader to engage with the author’s work. In both cases the body becomes a means of better communication.
Alastair Clarke
June 2016