Gestures help learning 2.

Another article from BBC Radio 4
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/leadingedge_20060330.shtml
Gestures help learning 30/03/2006

Susan Goldin Meadow from the University of Chicago has been working with children and adults to find out just how important hand gestures are in learning science subjects. It might seem quite obvious, as we all use hand gestures in our everyday conversations, but Susan has found that if you prevent the use of hand gestures, then you stifle the ability to learn.

There seems to be an evolutionary reason for waving our hands about. It also could help you learn a foreign language - gesturing like a French or Italian person, could help you convince them you're really a native speaker!