Teach English in Zhangluji Zhen - Heze Shi

Introduction “Teachers’ nonverbal behaviour plays a highly significant and essential role in foreign language classrooms for managing the students’ behaviour and promotes a learning conducive environment for the learners.” (A. Barabar, C. K. Caganaga, p.136) Briefly, this essay introduces some aspects and importance of nonverbal communication. Especially, this essay explains how using nonverbal communication in EFL classes is very useful for good classroom management and to create an effective classroom environment. The aspects of nonverbal communication presented in this essay include: eye contact, gestures and mime, facial expressions and voice. Body language in classroom management Eye contact is one of the most important factors of body language for a teacher. Eye contact in the classroom is fundamental, it helps the teacher to be closer to the students, to understand them and make them feel involved in what’s going on in the classroom, also, to hold their attention and to show them that they are an important part of the lesson (A. Barabar, C. K. Caganaga, p.139). Eye contact can be a powerful tool to establish good rapport with the learners, because a teacher using eye contact will appear present and careful to the needs of the students. Through eye contact, a good teacher can understand subtle emotive reactions of a student and if a student is confused or needs assistance for any reason. Eye contact should be avoided during student-centered activities though (ITTT, Unit 5, p.2), where the teacher should focus more on monitoring. “Human body language, as a nonverbal communication, including gestures, eye contact and facial expressions, is used to communicate in countless subtle and complex ways.” (R. A. Azeez1, P. Z. Azeez, p. 36) A teacher should make good use of gestures and mime. They can be used in many different situations and, in particular, can help to manage the class, increase or decrease the pace of the lesson and reduce teacher talk time (TTT). Students focus not only on what a teacher is saying, but also on what a teacher is doing, and that’s why a good teacher should be aware of the power and the importance of body language. Gestures add visual interest to the lesson and are useful to manage the class in an effective way, they help to get students’ attention and organize activities. Gestures should be clear and easy to understand, they shouldn’t be ambiguous and a teacher should consider the cultural background of the students to avoid embarrassing situations. Gestures are very important when teaching a foreign language and can be used in order to create both a warm and positive atmosphere in the learning environment (A. Barabar, C. K. Caganaga, p.140). “It is essential to establish positive relationships between the teacher and the students and among the students. It is important that teachers need to find out the right recipe of mixing firmness, warmth and caring.” (T. Popescu, p.150) “Facial expression is a “universal language” in human being’s society.” (Y. Tai, p. 1207) Humans can show different feelings and emotions through facial expressions. Teachers should keep in mind that their mood can deeply influence the students’ feelings in a positive or negative way (R. A. Azeez1, P. Z. Azeez, p. 40) and that facial expressions can be an effective way to create a motivating environment in the classroom. For instance, a warm smile could make the students feel more comfortable, keen to participate actively to the lesson and create a positive atmosphere. Moreover, the teacher could use facial expression to show interest in what a student is saying and to be encouraging. “Teachers need to be aware that the classroom should be an inviting, learning-conducive environment, where students feel physically, not only mentally comfortable and motivated” (T. Popescu, p.146) Nonverbal communication also includes volume, tone and speed of voice (R. A. Azeez1, P. Z. Azeez, p. 36). Voice is an important tool that a teacher can use to be effective in class management. The teacher should use a clear voice and should be able to adapt their voice to different situations and circumstances, such as, for instance, big or small classrooms, large or small groups, age of the learners, type of activity. A clear voice could help the students to understand instructions and explanations clearly. Similarly, changing the tone and the volume of the voice can help the teacher in many ways, as, for example, to keep the attention of the students, create a relaxed atmosphere or give simple and effective instructions about different activities. Conclusion Body language and nonverbal communication are important factors in classroom management and skills that a good teacher should cherish and focus on. Nonverbal communication can help the teacher promoting a positive learning atmosphere, maintaining discipline when necessary, being humorous, encouraging and motivating, decreasing unnecessary teacher talking time, arousing learners’ participation, building confidence, giving clear instructions, managing classroom efficiently and establishing rapport. References: - Popescu, Teodora. (2014). CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES: A PERSPECTIVE OF ENGLISH TEACHER TRAINEES. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education - JoLIE. 143-160. - Barabar, A. & Caganaga, C., K. (2015). Using Nonverbal Communication in Efl Classes. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences. 10(2), 136-147. - Incorporating Body Language into EFL Teaching, Rebin Abdulqader Azeez1, Paiman Zorab Azeez, Koya University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (KUJHSS). - Tai, Y. (2014), The Application of Body Language in English Teaching. Journal of Language Teaching and Research. - ITTT 120-hours TEFL course book.