The Role of Nonverbal in Making Verbal Effective in the Classroom or study the research problem.
The Role of Nonverbal in Making Verbal Effective in the Classroom
To be a teacher and to be an effective teacher is a completely different concept. To be an effective teacher is a tough task which many of the teachers fail to comprehend and their teaching suffers, and finally this is reflected in the poor feedback that a teacher gets from his/her students.
An effective teacher has deep content knowledge as well as effective communication skills to impart the content to students. Perfect nonverbalskills not only help to present best lectures but also enable the teacher to
motivate the students and craft up enthusiasm within them. This way an interactive student-teacher relationship is framed like that of Dronacharya and Arjuna.
Effective teaching requires teachers to wear many different hats. At times people feel that if one has good subject knowledge then excellent teaching will follow. However, this is not true nowadays as in today’s teaching scenario those teachers are considered good that have 50% knowledge and 50% interpersonal or communication skills. This leads to the question as to what are these skills and how can we acquire them? Communication is the art and science of transmitting information. There is a close association between ‘educating’ and ‘correspondence’ as educators are continually teaching novel facts or conveying innovative facts.
Effective communication skills are very vital for those teachers who are passionate about their jobs. An effective teacher communicates well to the student regarding course objective and its content in style which matches a student’s level of knowledge andskill. On the other hand, the teacher who is not able to communicate well will not make his/her students understand the key concepts and as a result these students might
not get success. There are certain aspects which are very important to remember while teaching.
According to Gibbs (2002). “Teachers need to be able to survive the demands, threatsand challenges within the diverse circumstances of teaching”. According to him, an effective teacher has to be persistent, flexible and innovative on new teaching approaches. Every teacher must know that there are various types of students in the classroom.
The Role of Nonverbal in Making Verbal Effective in the Classroom 21
These are:
• Auditory Learner: This student learns through listening.
• Visual Learner: This student learns ideas, concepts, data and other information when they are associated with images and graphs/charts/placards.
• Kinesthetic Learner: This student learns by carrying out a physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or merely watching a demonstration.
A class is a collection of all these learners, that is why a teacher has to devise multiple ways to impart knowledge up to the last row/bench. Every teacher has a distinct style to teach. Some teachers teach like yesteryears ‘chalk and talk’ method while some prefer dictating notes to their pupils. On the other hand, some contemporary teachers use digital platforms to impart knowledge such as PowerPoint slides or overhead projector.
In a recent workshop at Maharishi College, the author has seen that the teachers make effective use of fieldwork situation and case solving methodology. In this manner, nowadays the teachers are looking into ways by which they can be closely connected to students.
Chinese philosopher and reformer, Confucius (551 BC to 479 BC) stated, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand,” is apt in the context of effective teaching scenario. This is why in contemporary education, teaching aids have become immensely essential. According to Prozesky (2000), within classroom, pictures, written posters and practical demonstrations improve communication and this is why
these must be employed in teaching as much as possible. There are different ways by which a teacher or an instructor must think about imparting the information to the students. Either they can adapt or adopt the ways mentioned above or at times to break the ice and to initiate the process of unlearn they can introduce concepts like group discussions among the students. Whichever medium the teacher employs, it is necessary
that she/he should be able to communicate her/his thoughts well so that there is effective learning in the classroom.
Teachers can communicate effectively by giving written notes as well as teachers can sometimes write on the board or on the slides to make their views communicated to each and every student. The students can copy from them and convert them into their notes. Teachers should improve the overhead projector transparencies and write over them carefully. The same is true of the handouts or chapter summaries that almost all teachers prepare for their students and these lessons the students can use it in their self-study time. The teacher must therefore have good and clear handwriting.
In a traditional model of classroom communication, the sender is the teacher. The teacher gives the information to the students in twin ways; one is verbal communication where the teacher imparts the knowledge to the students by multiple mediums. These may include lectures, notes, dictations, etc. The other way is that the teacher communicates to the students through nonverbal medium too. Each one of us is
The IUP Journal of Soft Skills, Vol. XIV, No. 4, 2020 22 conscious about the verbal communication; however, the dangerous one, which is nonverbal, goes unnoticed. Nonverbal communication is also known as body language.
In this type of communication, no words are spoken, however through gestures and postures the speaker and the receiver communicates. Their feedbacks are noted by our subconscious brain and our course of behavior depends upon these unconscious noting.
Figure 1 explains the mode of knowledge transformation in an effective classroom. Non-verbal communication is an important medium of communication. This kindof communication, as mentioned above, is the one which usually teacherssubconsciously apply; that is why we say that ‘it is difficult to lie in body language’.
According to Curzon (1997), if teachers carefully attend to the body language of their students, they will know when they are bored or confused. Similarly, from the body language of their teachers, students pick up whether they are confident and enthusiastic or confused about the topic and act in accordance. This is the reason that at times some teachers become favorite teachers of the students. Not only this, the teacher must also
take care of her own poise and body language as the students are quick to get the gesture of a teacher whether s/he are confident of the topic or not. It is very surprising that each of our limbs expresses and explains the kind of person we are so we should take care of body language of ourselves and correct the body language of our students. Within the college/school premises we should take care of how we walk, stand, sit and move
Figure 1: Traditional Model of Communication Sender Puts message in words andexpresses the words Verbal Channel Radio Newspaper SMS E-mail TV, PPT Non-Verbal Body Language Eye Contact Gestures Postures Standing and Walking Sitting Encoding Receiver(who is a student here)Decodes the message of the sender (Teacher) Encoding
The Role of Nonverbal in Making Verbal Effective in the Classroom 23 our hands, arms, and legs. Similarly, our postures always indicate the mood and attitude that we carry with us. Our body language should harmonize with what we speak. In the classroom too if a teacher moves closer to students, this shows that the topic or
subject which s/he is teaching in class s/he is deeply engrossed in it. Similarly, if the students are leaning over their tables, it shows that they are keenly interested in the topic which is being taught in the class. A teacher who is a good decipher of body language will quickly find out as to whether the students are interested in the topic being taught in the classrooms or whether they are merely physically present in the
classroom while their minds are lingering elsewhere. Figure 2 shows the various aspects of body language that a teacher needs to cater while taking a session.
Following are the various aspects of body language that a teacher needs to cater to while taking a session.
A teacher must take care of non-verbal gestures of students because then only s/he will come to know which methodology to be adopted while delivering the sessions and to find that why some students do not give serious response in the class. If this is done then there would be 100% effectiveness of the teaching session. If a teacher is clever with non-verbal communication, then they can avoid the negative signals that
stifle the learning of the students.
Some gestures and postures which are important content of body language are as
follows:
Eye Contact:
The eyes are the most important reliable features of the face and therefore are the source of a continuous channel of communication. They are important device
Figure 2: Form of Non-Verbal Communication of a Teacher Facial Expressions Touching Pitch Eye Contact Ways of Walking Gestures Ways of Sitting Way one Dresses Ways of Walking Non-Verbal Communication/ Body Language
The IUP Journal of Soft Skills, Vol. XIV, No. 4, 202024
in distinguishing between truth and fabrication. These play a prime role in explaining and reveling almost entirely who we are and what we feel. The teachers with the striking movement of their eyes can appreciate and scold the students without uttering a single word. Similarly, the teacher can notice if the students are not making eye contact. Whereas, if the students maintain a proper eye contact with the teacher, it
shows mutual interest and liking for methodology of the teacher. If teacher maintains eye contact with students, it shows her/his expertise in subject and confidence of knowledge delivery. If any student gives a sidelong glance, the teacher can find out that she/he is not speaking the truth. The right glance that a teacher can give to her student is the social glance and the students should return the same glance.
Smile:
Smile is a curve which sets all things right. A smiling teacher is always welcomed in class. Similarly smiling students make the sessions more lively and interactive. Thisis why it is always recommended that one should wear a smile on the face.
Gesture:
Gestures play a important role in spreading of knowledge. This means that one should be aware of the motions and movements of limbs and ways of sitting. Classroom gestures are very much different from canteen gestures. While at theformer, we have to be cautious, at the later venue we can be relaxed. It is always
advised to not move hands around while you speak (this is applicable for teachers as well as students). Try to maintain a decent poise by keeping the hands closer. Similarly, it is important that we should not limp over one leg while standing. We should stand by managing our weight on both of our legs. While sitting in the
classroom, one should sit straight looking in front with both the thighs close to each other.
Proxemics:
This is a personal space of every individual that indicates territory to which access is allowed or denied to other people or objects. Figure 3 gives a detailed lay out for the teachers to judge and decide their proxemics with the student in the classroom. Here, it is however advised to maintain a good level of difference between
a teacher and students so as to maintain a dignified poise and decorum within the Class.
Figure 3: Distance Details of Proxemics Personal Space
1. Intimate (0-15 cm)
2. Personal (15-40cm)
3. Social (40 cm-4 m)
4. Public (4-25 m)
The Role of Nonverbal in Making Verbal Effective in the Classroom 25
Pitch:
Teacher must take care of rhythm, pitch, intensity, nasality and slurring that elicit the “truth” of the message. Vocal intonation reflects as to how students perceive teachers and this provides evidence about self-confidence and enthusiasm of a teacher. Vocal projection is the most important requisite of an effective communication. Good voice training includes relaxation techniques, development of good posture, breathing exercises that help the centering of the breath, work on pitch, resonance and tone. The teachers should have neutral accent, which means that there should be correct pronunciation of words without nasal effects. The teacher should not carry on the session in single monotonous tone. In fact, the teacher should pay careful attention over raised and low pitch and sometimes even pauses in the sentences that are used in the
classroom for the effective deliverance of the content.
Despite careful planning of lesson and correct adherence to nonverbal communication, at times the teaching fails to be effective. The reason is that the teacher did not take care of barriers to communication. If there are barriers while the teacher communicates with a student, then there will not be proper decoding of the message by the students and whatever the teacher has taught in the classroom will go waste.
Therefore, teachers can reduce barriers to have effective session/class. This can be done by making sure that the room is quiet and well lit. The teacher should speak slowly and clearly so that students can understand the words. The teacher in the classroom does not exhibit knowledge instead teaches and imparts knowledge to the students.
That is the reason the teacher should use simple words while teaching. To know whether the students have understood the concepts taught in class or not, the teacher should encourage two-way communication known as feedback. Feedback by students can restrain this barrier to communication after the session. We can get such feedback by asking questions in the classroom to students to answer (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Feedback Process Sender Medium Message Receiver Feedback
The IUP Journal of Soft Skills, Vol. XIV, No. 4, 202026
Apart from the concepts of verbal and nonverbal communication, the teacher must note that the ambience also plays an important role in effective learning of the students.
Classroom layout and aesthetics directly influences students’ learning. Classroom environment can create learning surroundings and establish perfect communication between the students and the teacher. For example, the position of a teacher’s desk may serve as a barrier to prevent students from entering his/her space and thus inhibits interaction. In straight row seating, most student interaction is greatest in the front and middle rows.
Conclusion
Thus, it is inferred from the above study that effective body language comprising well- balanced gestures and postures with verbal skills play an effective role in effective deliverance of course content. The body language of the teacher should always reflect positive attitude, high enthusiasm to impart knowledge with pleasing personality. The teachers should never sit and teach or move in aisle. To avoid making the class monotonous, the teacher must have a sense of humor (not dirty jokes). There has to be dialogue over monologue and this will give feedback to the teacher as to if students understand the same which is being taught in the class. Teachers should not exhibit verbal messages that conflict with nonverbal messages, as this confuses students. If the above measures are carefully followed, then surely the teachers will achieve the goals of effective teaching in their classroom.
References
1.Curzon L B (1997), Teaching in Further Education: An Outline of Principles and Practice 5th Edition, Cassell.
2.Gibbs C J (2002). “Effective Teaching: Exercising Self-Efficacy and Thought Control
of Action”, Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the British Educational
Research Association, University of Exeter, September 12-14, England, available
at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00002390.htm. Accessed on August 23, 2012.
3.Prozesky R D (2000), “Communication and Effective Teaching”,
Journal of Community Eye Health, International Centre for Eye Health
, London, UK, available at www.cehjournal.org/0953-6833/13/jceh_13_35_044.html. Accessed on August 23, 2012. Reference # 50J-2020-12-03-01
QUESTION
Topic: The Role of Nonverbal in Making Verbal Effective in the Classroom
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One source to answer this research question The Role of Nonverbal in Making Verbal Effective in the Classroom or study the research problem.
Write paragraphs of sentences summarizing the source. Apply the skills of clarity, precision, and summary you learned about in this topic above
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