Does gesturing improve the learning of human motor skills for children, when learning from instructional animation and statics?

Previous research found animated instructions can lead to better learning of a human movement task when compared to equivalent statics (Ayres et al 2009), due to our innate ability to learn by observing movements. Moreover, De Koning & Tabbers’ (2011) review found gestures, also forms of human movement, can facilitate learning. A previous study (Marcus et al, CLT 2013) that focussed on adults learning Mandarin characters, found gestures improved learning from statics significantly more than animations. In this study we consider whether gestures can improve learning of a motor task for children, if there is a difference for static versus animated instructions, and tasks of different difficulty levels. We focus on primary school children learning Persian characters. We hypothesize that including human movement into an instructional format will benefit learning as it taps into our movement processor. Thus the first hypothesis is that animations will lead to better performance than statics. Our second is that including gesture will lead to better learning than no gesture. Lastly we predict an interaction effect, and hypothesize that gesture will facilitate learning more for statics than animation. Gesturing may become redundant for more difficult animations when cognitive load is higher.Method: Four groups of 11 grade 1 and 2 students, were given a series of 9 Persian characters to learn to write, ranging in difficulty level from easy to medium to difficult. Two groups received animated instructional materials, with one group asked to gesture while learning. The other two groups received equivalent static graphics, with one group gesturing. All groups had equal learning times. The students were then tested on ability to reproduce the characters including correct strokes and dots, drawing order, and positioning relative to a guide line. Results from a MANOVA supported our hypothesis with a significant overall interaction between gesture and instructional format (F(3, 38) = 7.42, p < .001) as well as significant main effects for presentation format (F = 28.0, p < .001), with animations outperforming statics, and gesturing (F = 16.5, p < .001), with gesturing outperforming non-gesturing. Univariate tests indicated a significant interaction for both easy and medium tasks, but not the difficult task. Simple effects tests showed that for the static presentation, all three tasks found gesturing superior to non-gesturing. For the animated presentation, only the easy task produced a gesturing advantage. Conclusion: Our results provide support for the existence of a human movement processor that when invoked can support learning, particularly for human movement tasks. Gesturing supported learning for young children, particularly for easier tasks (when less cognitively loaded) and when learning from statics (movement is not inherent to this instructional format). As expected, animations led to better learning than statics. Gesturing was redundant for the more difficult animated tasks when children were cognitively challenged, and movement was inherent.ReferencesAyres, P, Marcus, N, Chan, C, & Qian, N. (2009). Learning Hand Manipulative Tasks: When Instructional Animations are Superior to Equivalent Static Representations. Computers in Human Behavior, 25, 348-353De Koning, B. B, & Tabbers, H. K. (2011). Facilitating Understanding of Movements in Dynamic Visualizations: an Embodied Perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 23, 501-52

Radon in Drinking Water and Arizona Domestic Wells

Radon is an odorless gas usually found in water that comes into contact with uranium bearing minerals. Radon is a radioactive gas that can cause cancer when it is breathed into the lungs or absorbed in the stomach from water. Home owners can be exposed to radon gas if it seeps into basements or through concrete pads and when it is released from the water supply. If high levels of radon are present in the well water, well owners will be exposed to radon gas as they shower, clean, and flush toilets and when they drink the well water. In addition to testing for radioactive chemicals such as gross-alpha radiation and uranium, private well owners should also test their indoor air and their well water for radon

Sodium in Drinking Water and Arizona Domestic Wells

Table salt (sodium chloride) has been used to preserve and season food since ancient times. We need sodium to regulate our body’s water balance and muscle function. However, studies have shown that too much sodium intake may be bad for your heart health and is linked with high blood pressure. High levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), which include sodium, are common in Arizona’s water resources. Therefore, we should be aware of our sodium consumption from foods and drinking water sources. Sodium in drinking water may be significant in your diet. But this depends on the amount of sodium in the water, how much you drink daily, and if you are on a sodium restricted diet

Lichen planus – a clinical guide

Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic lichenoid inflammatory disorder of the skin, mucosa and of the appendages. LP is classically characterized by the presence of a rich infiltration of inflammatory T cells, which migrate in the upper part of the dermis, arranged in a band-like pattern. Different sub types of the disease have been so far described. Albeit LP is clinically well defined, the disease still represents a therapeutic enigma. Especially with regard to mucosal or scalp affecting LP types, which often present a recalcitrant and treatment unresponsive course, efficacious therapeutic options are still lacking. Thus, LP represents a disease with a high psychosocial burden. Yet, development in the deciphering of LP pathogenesis reveals possible new druggable targets, thus paving the way for future therapeutic options. In this clinical guide, we summarize the current clinical knowledge and therapeutic standards and discuss the future perspective for the management of LP

Real life management of chronic urticaria: Multicenter and cross sectional study on patients and dermatologists in Iran

Recently, advances in understanding the etiology of urticaria and updates of diagnostic and therapeutic management guidelines have drawn attention to chronic urticaria (CU) morbidity. The present study aimed to evaluate Iranian dermatologists' practice and real life management of CU patients. A total of 35 dermatologists and 443 patients were included in the study. Number of female patients was 321 (72.5). Mean (standard deviation) age of the study patients was 38 (13) years and the median (inter quartile range) of disease duration was 12 (6�48) months. Severity of patients' symptoms was mild for 32.1, moderate for 38.7, severe for 18.8, and 10.4 of them had no evident signs or symptoms. The most common diagnostic methods were physical examination (96.6), differential blood count (83.5), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (77.4), and C-reactive protein (62.8). The number of dermatologists prescribed nonsedating antihistamines (nsAH) in regular dose and high dose mono therapy were 26 (74) and 6 (17), respectively. About 66 of dermatologists were familiar with British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) guideline. The most common first-line treatment for CU by Iranian dermatologists was nonsedating antihistamines in regular or high doses. The real-life management of patients with CU in Iran was in accordance with the available practice guidelines. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc