When teachers speak, they do not only use their voice, but they also use their
hands to clarify and support their words. It is said that more than half of all human
communication takes place non-verbally. Thus, gestures are a very beneficial form of
non-verbal communication that reinforces the message and helps reduce unnecessary
teacher talking time in the classroom and increase students‟ understanding and
participation during lessons. Teachers should use physical movement such as gestures
and mime and facial expressions during their teaching to convey the meaning of
language, reinforce information and increase pace. This is particularly essential in
young learners‟ classrooms where long verbal explanations can be difficult and
confusing (Gower, Phillips & Walters, 2008, p. 11). Scrivener suggests developing a
set of gestures in order to avoid repeating basic instructions and to increase students‟
talking time