A picture may be worth a thousand words – but a real object may be worth even more. New research reported this week in ScienceDaily Neuroscience News suggests something teachers already know from the classroom: Real objects are even better at getting our attention than pictures and visuals. The researchers found that the human brain responds differently to the “real stuff,” things we can hold and manipulate as compared to photos or pictures of the same. The real objects are more memorable.

They “exert a more powerful influence on attention,” the researchers said, because “images are not as relevant” to the brain for action. Not only that, the effect disappeared when either the object was placed out of reach, or behind a large transparent barrier. This is something every teacher has observed on museum field trips. Put it behind glass and the kids lose interest. So when students can only look and not feel or use, it makes a difference.

About those hands-on activities and manipulatives in the classroom … yes, it is more trouble to acquire and arrange objects and materials than to provide a lecture or even pictures and visuals. But going hands-on may be even more helpful than we knew. The work will be reported in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science. See the news report at the first link below, or for some free hands-on activities that are easy to setup in the classroom, such as games or the free image of a “Shape Wheel” for Kindergarten pattern matching, see the second and third links below.

–Kathleen Scalise

Link to ScienceDaily report:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171214181821.htm

A few links to hands-on games and activities for kids:

https://www.education.com/activity/offline-games/

https://teachingmama.org/15-hands-on-math-activities-preschoolers/