The Application of Teachers’ Body Language in English Teaching

（英文姓名）

English (学号)

（指导教师英文姓名）

March 22, 2016

The Application of Teachers’ Body Language in English Teaching

Introduction

In English teaching, the study of verbal language is always the key point. However, an important supplementary means of verbal communication-body language has been ignored for a long time. Many teachers do not have not enough knowledge about body language, and even some of them do not know what body language is. What?s more, they have no consciousness of the active application of body language in English teaching, which prevent from playing its role to the full. Body language is not only the constitution in communication, but also a necessary means in English teaching. In fact, it is a powerful and invisible way to improve the quality of class teaching. In English teaching, spoken language is indispensable, but necessary body language is needed to match up in order to get a better result. Patrick W·Miller pointed out in his book Nonverbal Communication, that in class room teaching, 88% information is transmitted by nonverbal language, and only 12% information is conveyed by language.[1]In addition, body language is an indispensable component of nonverbal language. So, body language is still a necessary means in teaching, especially in English teaching. Then, what is body language? Although the concept of body language is relatively new, there has been a proliferation of studies trying to explain what …body language? really means. In the earlier period of research, many scholars inclined to use the term “nonverbal communication”, “nonverbal behavior”or “Kinesics”instead of “body language”. Through long term discussion and development, body language means all the communications beyond language, which includes body behavior, time and space, distance, smell and so on.[2] As for the concept of teachers? body language, there is no accurate definition until now. Some researchers just add “teacher”to the description of “body language”simply. This sort of definition cannot reflect the specialty of teachers? body language. Therefore, in this paper, it discusses some situations of body language and its relationship with English.

In English teaching, teachers? proper body language is not only a helpful means to improve the efficiency of teaching, but also an effective way to express teachers?emotions or feelings. Psychologist revealed that

(name of author) 2 teenagers have difficulty in concentrating on a whole lesson. If teachers want the students to be absorb in a 40-45 minutes lesson, they need to use some flexible measures. Body language is a way of arousing students?interesting and activity in class. So, English teachers should pay attention to the importance of the use of body language.

This paper attempts to make a brief but systematic overview of teachers? body language in terms of its development, functions and use in English teaching. This paper can be divided into four parts. The first part is body language and its relationship with English teaching. It includes the relationship between body language and English teaching, and the definition of body language. In the second part, it illustrates the necessity and functions of using body language in English. The third part presents some ways of using body language in English teaching, such as the use of facial expression, gesture and so on. In the last part, it puts forward some suggestions for English teachers about using body language.

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I. Body language and its relationship with English teaching

A. The relationship between body language and English teaching

Teaching is a process in which teachers and students could communicate with each other. In this process, except for the use of verbal language, there is another effective way to help teachers and students understand each other successfully, that is body language.

i. Current situation of using body language in English teaching

As we all know, English is the most popular language in the international communication. In China, it regarded as a compulsory course, weather in primary school, middle school or college. For this reason, the effect of English teaching becomes a final goal in many parents?and English teachers?mind. However in English teaching process, the use of body language will make teachers? teaching and students? learning easier, and it can improve the efficiency of teaching. But at present, many English teachers still do not realize the importance of body language, especially in undeveloped or developing area, and they do not know what body language is. They just follow the cramming system and expect to receive the effect as they wish. Obviously, the result only can run in the opposite direction. Moreover, with the popularization of multi-media, most of English teachers show their content on the PPT, which reduced the chance of using body language largely in English teaching.

All in all, in China the situation of using body language in English teaching is not so good compared with

(name of author) 3 American teaching or other counties? teaching. So, from now on, the use of body language in English teaching is worth studying for every English teacher.

ii. Importance of body language in English teaching

At the beginning of human beings? revolution, there is no verbal language in their daily communication. At that time, body language is a main way to express their asking, congratulation, greeting and so on. Up to now, human beings have evolved for thousands of years. The complete verbal language system has been finished, but body language still played an inevitable role in human communication. Classroom teaching is also a kind of communication. In English teaching, teachers? proper body language will make students relax and help to create an active classroom atmosphere. For instance, when a teacher explains a word or a phrase in English, the students cannot understand what the teacher means. They may lose the interest of learning English. But if the teachers use some body language when he find his students cannot follow him, then, the effect will be different. Body language could transform the abstract into the specific, and create a connection between strange letters and living things. It can improve students?understanding and remembering. Hence body language is quite important for English teachers in English teaching. But, what is body language?

B. Definition of body language

i. History of body language

The study of nonverbal communication started from the World War II, but before the WWII, the influence and significance of Darwin?s work The Expression of the Emotion in Man and Animals cannot be ignored in the field of modern nonverbal communication study. [3]The early researchers Ruesch & Kees (1956) and Galloway (1970) provided a simple version and pointed out that nonverbal communication is a way of communication without any words. To put it more specifically, nonverbal communication refers to the actions of behaviors, reflective or non-reflective, from part of the body or the whole body to communicate feelings with others (Fast, 1979). In the book Introduction to Kinesics, Birdwhistell (1970) invented the term “Kinesics” and provided the first chance to the systematic study of body movements. He regarded “Kinesics”as “the continuous muscular shifts”, which are characteristics of living physiological systems. “Those groupings of movements are of significance to the communicational process and thus to the interactional systems of a particular social groups” (Birdwhistell, 1970). The invention of the term “Kinesics” shows a huge step in the field of nonverbal communication research.[4]

However, the definition of body language is more complex than the previous studies. Bi Jiwan (1990)

(name of author) 4 divided nonverbal communication roughly into four categories: “body language, paralanguage, object language and environment language”. [5] It means that body language divided from nonverbal communication. Based on Fast?s (1970) definition of nonverbal communication, Hu Wenzhong (1995) defined body language as those appearance and actions that transmit communicational information. [6]Although there are other definitions of body language according to different scholars, in general, they are most alike.

ii. Classification of body language

There are kinds of classification because of different scholars in different periods in the development of body language study. In later studies, Jenkins & Johnson (1977), Miller (1998), He Daokuan (1998) and Liu Qin & Pan Mingwei (2010) provided more typical and clearer classifications of body language. Jenkins & Johnson (1977) stated that there are seven types: proxemics, speech, eye contact, facial expression, posture, hand movement, and body rhythms. Miller (1988) gave eight categories: facial expression, eyes, vocal intonation, touching, body posture and movements, dress, use of space. He Daokuan divided body language into seven types based on the source of communicating information: eye contact, touching behavior, posture, gesture, facial expressions. In Liu Qin & Pan Mingwei?s study, they divided body language into five aspects: eye contact, hand movement, gesture, facial expression and the naturalness of expression. From the above categories, some aspects are similar, such as eye contact, gesture and posture. It is revealed that these aspects are very important in body language study. In this paper, it just discusses the use of body language in English teaching from the aspect of facial expression, gesture, posture and dressing.

iii. Distinction between body language and verbal language

First, Body language is both social and biological, but verbal language is only social. In 1960s, there are three American researchers who had done an extensive research in New Guinea, Brahman, America, Brazil and Japanese about the use of body language in different countries. They found that although in different culture environment, they use the same body language in their daily life. They came to the conclusion that it is because of heredity. From the research, they proved that a part of body language is congenital and biological, whereas the other parts are learned from postnatal environment in different culture and different context. Second, body language is more authentic than verbal language. Due to body language is biological, some behaviors are subconscious and uncontrolled. When people want to lie, what he said is inconsistent with what he expressed. Psychologist Sigmund Freud said: “he that has eyes to see and ears to hear may convince himself that no mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his ginger tips; betrayal oozes out of him

(name of author) 5 at every pore”. [7] It means that no one could keep a secret. Even he does not tell others, his behavior betrayed him. Third, body language is delivered in many ways. A smile or eye contact could transform information. Four, the communication of body language is continuous. When a catfight ended, maybe the talking is over, but the facial expression or posture will still express the anger or agreement about that discussion.

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II. The functions of teachers’ body language in English teaching

A. Necessity of using body language in English teaching

The study of psychology indicates that human beings? remembering is based on 40% visual sense and 25% auditory sense. The students? remembering of visual sense is 1.66 times than auditory sense. [8] So the use of body language in English teaching can not only make the teaching vivid, but the knowledge in students?mind is more profound, and clearer. According to the students? physical and psychological character, and the functions of body language, it is quite necessary to use body language in English teaching.

i. The dependence on students? physical and psychological character

The structure of human brain and the memory rule decided the use of body language in English teaching. Modern neuropsychology states that right hemisphere receives pictorial symbol, left hemisphere receives sound symbol, body language assists verbal language. The two kinds of information stimulate and influence the brain simultaneously, thus the efficiency of teaching will be improved. In addition, on the basis of students?cognitive development regular, the cognitive development of children can be divided into three processes: enactive representation (0-2years), iconic representation (3-11years), symbol representation (11-15years) [9]. According to this theory, the students in 3-11years should be used with visual teaching method, such as picture or video. While the period of the students in 11-15 years is the most important course of learning language, also is the most proper stage to use body language for teachers. What?s more, there is a debate in academic field about whether English teachers should use native language in teaching. One standpoint is that native language can help students learn English successfully, because it is a necessary way for Chinese learning English. The other point holds that native language should not to be used in English teaching, it should take the students in English situation. Although both viewpoints are controversial, they have common aspect that they all revealed that native language is just a means of teaching, not the purpose. In English teaching, it should not overuse native language. The use of body language could reduce the chance of using native language, increase the input of target language, which is helpful to students? language acquisition.

(name of author) 6 ii. Usages of teachers? body language in English teaching

Teachers? body language is inevitable to create an active atmosphere in English teaching. Teaching is a participating bilateral activity between students and teachers. Teachers?duty is to guide the students learn English, motivate the students?interesting of learning English, create a language situation to encourage the students to participate in practice activity and require the students to find questions and solve questions by themselves. It not only needs the teachers are knowledgeable, but also use various teaching methods.

a. The creation of an active class atmosphere

An active class atmosphere includes two parts: a relaxing and friendly atmosphere, and better class discipline. Classroom is the main position of the students learning, which designed by the teachers. It means that the teachers? teaching method is so important because it decides where the students? attention is, mentality and classroom atmosphere. In English teaching, proper and various body languages could attract students?attention; encourage the students? learning interesting, and brisk classroom atmosphere.

b. The development of students? abilities on thinking, imagining, expressing and imitating

Adolescent students are energetic. It is difficult for them to stay at classroom without any move. Meanwhile they have strong imitation and aesthesis to teachers? behaviors. In English teaching, teacher use body language, the students imitate the body language. It will deepen the impression of knowledge. In this process, the students will also learn the abilities of the teacher in reading, writing, singing, drawing or other abilities. Through long time experience accumulation, the students will become the teachers?abilities into themselves. Because of students? curiosity and emulation, it could stimulate students? ability of thinking and imagining, and learn more deep knowledge by themselves. Moreover, teachers?living interpretation and reading could help some shy students open their mouth. The dialogue between teacher and student or between students is favorable for increase the chance of communication practice to the students, and can make the students learn each other, advance together, to be the master of learning.

c. The creation of better understanding between students and teachers

In English teaching, if the teacher keeps a straight face, the students will think the teacher is too high to reach. It will hinder the students? learning initiative and kill the students? imitative ability. But if the teachers use body language in their teaching, perform with the students and play games with the students, and the students will think the teacher is approachable and amiable, which it could build up relationship between the students and teachers, also it can short the distance between the students and teachers. Therefore the use of

(name of author) 7 proper body language in English teaching could develop relationships between the students and teachers, and arouse the thirst of students for knowledge. As a modern teacher, it should take advantage of the superiority of body language.

B. The functions of use body language in English teaching

About the functions of teachers?body language in English teaching, some teachers have made comparison. They summed up that there are following functions: the function of the organization, demonstration and implication.

i. The function of the organization of classroom management

As we all known, the modern English teaching emphasis that the students are the subject of teaching, the students? practice is the main point in English teaching, not the teachers? cramming explaining. The aim of teaching is to improve the students? learning skill. Thus many classroom activities designed with chain work, group work or pair work. Take the chain work for instance, it is complex to interpret the rule of the activity in Chinese, but only in English, it is difficult to understand for the students. However, if the teachers use proper body language when they organize activities in English, it will make the students understand smoothly, and increase the input of target language. For example, the behaviors like “sit down”, “come in”, “stand up”, and so on.

ii. The function of the demonstration in teaching process

If the teachers explain a concept or a process only with verbal language, it will hardly understand for the students. But if the teachers use some body languages to assist their interpretation, the demonstrate behavior will make the interpretation clear and audio-visual. For example, clap hands means welcome, encourage. In addition, the function of demonstration reflects on role play and content reading. For example, the teacher make the students read the content follow him, and guide the students play games.

iii. The function of the implication of verbal language

Because of students? psychological factors (for example, the teachers? direct criticizes will wounded the students?pride.), and the limit teaching time, the use of facial expression and eye contact is especially important in teaching organization for English teachers. For instance, teachers? serious stare is more effective than verbal criticizes. The teachers nod their heads or smile when the students answer questions, it is a kind of encourage and approve to the students and do not need to interpret the students? answering. At this time, the use of body language is more proper than verbal language. What?more, when the teacher pointed out to a

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picture and ask a student, “ what is this? ” the student answer, “this is Mary?s…”, if the student forget the word “mother”, then the teacher could use mouth without sound to implicate the student. Expect for use mouth, it also could use gesture or posture. Due to the especially psychological in English teaching, this kind of implication is very useful to increase the students?self-confidence and overcome their timidity. Some researches indicated that if people forget some words when they are in communication, they always have the aid of body language. For example, in classroom teaching, the teacher asks a student, “what is your favorite sport?”, if the student cannot remember the word “basketball”temporarily, he will do a behavior of play basketball first, then speak the word “basketball”. In the process of pick up words, body language takes an important effect. So body language has the function of the implication of verbal language.

III. Ways of using body language in English teaching

A. The use of facial expression

Facial expression is just like an amplified barometer and the sign of motion changing; it could reflect the thoughts and feelings of human beings fleetly and truly. So if the teachers could use facial expression properly, it could active the classroom atmosphere largely, especially the use of smile and eye contact.

i. The use of eye contact

Leonardo da Vinci had said that the eye is the window of heart. In human communication, the function of eyes is inevitable. In English teaching, direct criticize would wound the students? pride, in further, it will make the students lose the interesting of learning English. As an English teacher, he or she should realized that eye contact could either express the emotion of teaching or make communicate with the students. As a result, the teachers? eye contact with the students is essential for improve teachers? performance. Firstly, the teachers should understand the students? facial expression. It means that from the students? behaviors or expressions, the teachers could see their teaching effect, discriminate the students? learning situation. Then according to this, the teachers adjust the teaching speed or arouse the students? attention. Secondly, between the students and teachers, it should have eye contact. Because the teachers?kind and expectant eye contact could make the students feel the sense of security, move out of pure fear, and shorten the emotional distance between the students and teachers.

ii. The use of smile

The smile is the symbol of confidence and friendship, it is also a effective means to control classroom

(name of author) 9 atmosphere and set up the students? self-confidence. The teachers could pass on their energetic and optimistic through smile. If the teachers always bring the smile into the classroom, gradually, the students will be affected by the teachers?positive attitude, and with the same attitude. Meanwhile, it could improve the quality of teaching. [10] As an English teacher, he or she should be full of spirit and energy and with smile in every class. At the beginning of class, the teacher should greet the students with smile, such as “how are you??, “nice to meet you!”. If the students give the right answer, the teachers should nod their head with smile to show encouragement, and give the thumbs-up sign and say, “excellent”or “very good”. However, if the students give wrong answer, the teachers should understand them with smile. Otherwise it will wound the students?pride. Anyway, every teachers should bring the smile into classroom and play its maximum effect, lets the students learning English is fun rather than burden.

B. The use of gestures, postures and proper clothing

There are many body languages are known by us in daily life, but some teachers do not consider seriously using them in English teaching. Except for facial expressions, gestures, postures and clothing are the compositions of body language, and often used in English teaching.

i. The use of gestures

In the 21th century, Roth (2001) discussed the role of gestures in teaching and deduced two possible functions: “on the one hand, gesture might serve teachers as information to assess a student?s current understanding of a topic; on the other hand, students might be able to use the teachers? gesture as additional resources for making sense of teacher talk, for example, by presenting novel perspectives on the lecture content.” With the appearance of this deduction, the function of gestures in the relationship between students and teachers has become an important factor in the teaching research. Sime (2006) concluded three types of functions that body language play in EFL classroom interaction: the first is cognitive, for example, gesture which work as enhancers of the learning process; the second is emotional, for example, gestures that function as reliable communicative devices of teachers? emotional and attitudes; the third is organization, for example, gestures which serve as tools of classroom management. [11] Nowadays, with the reform of English teaching material, new English teaching material required higher and higher for the use of teachers? body language. In English teaching, the use of accurate gesture could transmit teachers?ideas, express their emotions, and increase the persuasion and inflection of their verbal language. Gesture means that the hand movement when a person convey his or her motions and ideas. In English teaching, the function of body language is very obvious.

(name of author) 10 Accurate gesture will increase the persuasion and infection on paraphrase of words and tone of voice. The action of gesture is much lower than posture, but can properly express different meanings. For example, when the teachers want to speak the word “stop”, he or she can use the gesture of basketball using in basketball game. And if the teachers want to let the students sit down, he or she just need to press down him or her hand. Correct gesture would attract the students?attention and make the students in active attitude and make the students think English learning is fun and easy.

ii. The use of postures

Posture refers to body languages. It is also a signal system of express body language. In English teaching classroom, because of the limit of language environment, real communication has large boundedness. As an English teacher, he or she should show the words, sentences grammar and other knowledge though body language, especially posture. It should make the students to imitate, learning, applicant and expand the thinking space in English teaching to deepen the understanding of knowledge and memory, achieve the best teaching effect. In classroom, the teacher should create the needs of the real environment as much as possible, though vivid presentation of teaching content, teacher language expression of the characters lifelike imitation, with proper posture language, guide students listening, imitation, performance, etc., make students quickly ruled out the difficulty in the situation, grasp the key. Correct posture can raise the student good listening in imperceptible edification and English pronunciation and intonation and enhance the consciousness of the students to communicate in English. Make the students in a harmonious atmosphere, fully the development of the whole teaching process to achieve the best effect of teaching and learning.

iii. The use of proper clothing

The clothing is another important aspect of body language. Through clothing, people can show themselves, also learn about others. Although clothing cannot talk, people express their feelings through different kinds of clothing in a particular circumstance. Doctor Peter·Rove in New York has said that a person?s clothing is not only to show his emotional, and can display his wisdom, and from his dress habits can reveal more of his philosophy of life and outlook on life. So the clothing is a person?s “appearance”, on behalf of a person?s personality, which reflected his temperament, culture and life attitude. A teacher, when he walked into the classroom, before opening his dress instrument has been talking to the students. Teacher is like arduous garden, shouldering the responsibility of teaching. The seriousness of teaching work determines their dressing is no longer the individual behavior; it contains rich educational factors, and shows a sense of

(name of author) 11 responsibility and knowledge. Through appropriate dressing, it fully displays teaches? scientifically rigorous and assiduous spirit of education. Make the students respect the teachers so that fully accept the teachers?knowledge. Nowadays, with the state of teacher in China has promoted and their salary has increased, it is a good thing that the teachers?clothing also has became more multicultural and beautiful. But whenever, teachers? clothing should accord with teachers? status and specific teaching environment. It should be solemn, clean and tidy. Imagine that a disheveled or a bigger teacher can cause students?admiration of love? If a teacher wear antipathetic clothing which incompatible with the teachers? status and campus environment, no matter how teacher teach, its negative effect has made his teaching in establishing a big discount. Of course, the teachers are also a member of the society and they have the right to slick themselves up. But when they are in school or classroom, they should pay attention to their clothing to won higher social status and wider range of respect.

IV. Some suggestions for English teachers about using body language

The use of body language appropriate or not is often directly affect the communication between teachers and students, the transmission of knowledge and the appeal of language. In English teaching, teachers should avoid negative and insignificant body language, and pay attention to the culture diversity.

A. Using appropriate body language in English teaching

The use of body language should not imitate optionally, it should according to teachers?own characteristics, special interests, and the students? factors such as age and character. General view, lively and active teachers? body language use is more frequently than introverted teachers. However, introverted teachers should let the students to perform, use physical and video display to make up for the inadequacy of their body language. From the students?age characteristics, they are older, their expressive and comprehension are stronger. Under this situation, the students? dependency on body language is descended obviously. At this time, the teachers should turn the teaching direction into the analysis of content. In addition, the use of body language is a unity. Generally the use of a kind of body language needs the participation of each part of the body. Therefore, the use of body language must pay attention to the coordination of the various parts of body. Thus, we can see that the use of body language should be accurately, to avoid vague and ambiguity.

B. Avoiding negative and insignificant body language in English teaching

There are negative and insignificant body languages reflected in every teacher, but the teachers have no

(name of author) 12 sense to it. Mostly, those body language were noticed by the students, even become the students? talking topic. Such as some teachers are playing chalk in teaching, some teachers are fixing their hair. What?s worse, there are students take down the times of their behaviors. Thus it can be seen this kind of body language is distract students? attention! So the teachers in classroom should avoid negative and insignificant body language as far as possible and use active body language.

C. Pay attention to the culture diversity

In the world, especially in China, Chinese and Western culture are mix together and collision each other. When China accepted western culture essence, it should keep its own cultural independence, including body language which as one of the communication ways. There is no need to copy the all body language of English-speaking countries. Therefore in English teaching, it is necessary to use some Chinese body language to assist to English teaching. As an important part of communication, body language is indispensable in human communication. Nowadays, international communication is become more and more frequent. When the teachers use body language, they should pay attention to the culture diversity, master relevant knowledge, and teach students the relevant cross-cultural knowledge. For example, in Chinese view that American have too much gestures and facial expressions, but American may be think Chinese are inscrutable, and do not express their emotions. When Latinos are talking, their distance is very short; sometime they will touch each other. But in America and England, there are about four feet away when they are talking, and they taboo touch each other. If two men hand in hand when they talk, they will be considered as gay. So in different countries, a kind of body language may be has different means. As an English teacher, it is important to convey correct knowledge to the students with accurate body language.

Conclusion

The use of teachers?body language can bring about great influences on students?learning, such as emotion, interest and confidence. The teachers?eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and posture affect students? attitudes and mental deeply, which results in obvious hints and appeals for students? emotions. But at the same time, some students lack knowledge of body language, they may misunderstand and misinterpret in learning. For this situation, the teachers should help the students overcome the difficulties with correct body language. In order to improve the students?abilities of listening, reading, speaking and writing, the teacher should not only clear the important of body language in English teaching, but also pay attention to the audio,

(name of author) 13 body language and culture. The use of proper body language can make a positive impact on teaching, and make full use of the important role of body language in English teaching.

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