Seeing Is Learning
While we are all cognizant of the importance of words to create certain
impressions, gestures are relegated to much lesser role. Gestures are an 
important concomitant to even the most vapid speech, enhancing it and giving
the hearer something to look at while he listens. The value of seeing at the
same time as hearing was shown when a class at a university, unwieldy because
of its large size, was spilt up. One group was put into a room in close
proximity to good loudspeakers. Every nuance of the lecturer's voice can be
heard clearly. Because they had no person on whom to place their attention, 
they soon took on the appearance of extreme lassitude; most students became
lethargic and rested their heads on desks. The separation of visual and aural
communication tended to vitiate the learning process. The listening group 
received grades lower than those received by those who could look at as well
as hear the instructor.


on pins and needles--to be on edge, jumpy.
He was on pins and needles while he cooled his heels in the principal's office.