I gesture a fair amount when I talk. I'd say I'm above average in that category. When I was a high school debater we were trained to use very specific, deliberate gestures in our speeches. Now I am more of the "all over the place" school. I wave, point, shrug, plead and implore with my hands. So, I was very happy to read an essay in the NY Times on Sunday that touched on this topic.
Turns out that some research has shown that gesturing enhances thinking. It could be that bodily motions actually play a role in the thinking process. In some experiments when gesturing was inhibited subjects showed decreased performance on mental tasks. Ah, my gesturing may be useful! I remember in second grade we were working on dividing words into syllables. I was working out "elephant," and waved my hand as I sounded out each syllable. The teacher noticed and pointed out how helpul that might be for other students--to "feel" the syllables.
The article goes on to note that gestures increase when we are actively working out a solution, rather than reciting an already established understanding. Think of how in the classroom you see students working on a tough problem, they are moving, gesturing, standing up. This is especially evident in group work, I think. Sure, some of this is to get attention or the result of nervousness, but some may be an integral part of the thinking process.
I feel greatly relieved to hear that my wild gesticulations may be an indication of deep reasoning!
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/out-of-our-brains/
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