Are these hand gestures a memory technique?

[mjb1971]

I was watching a video on North Korean foreign currency learning which included some schoolchildren in Pyongyang during class, including English speaking. At 40:59 children are doing what looks like math, and then speaking English, both accompanied by rapid hand movements and gestures. During the English speaking portion, the classmates are also doing the same gestures.

Any thoughts on what these are, some kind of physical-memory technique?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhYJcOIuVGA

[Teango]

Looks like Chisanbop (aka fingermath)? As the boy says in this small segment, "I'm counting on the abacus" (which I imagine corresponds with those numbers flying by on the screen in front of him). The fact that he can do so with one hand, possibly write the answer in the air with another (like in this example), and recite a foreign language under such scary levels of scrutiny, is impressive. Kinda made me sad to watch though. I hope he gets to play too...