Solving Important Educational Problems Through Effective Classroom Interactions
By Ms.Swaleha Sindhi & Sayed Mukhtar Sadat
20 February, 2015
Countercurrents.org
Introduction
Within the teaching profession, communication skills are applied in the teachers’ classroom management, pedagogy and interaction with the class (Saunders and Mills, 1999). Everything communicates, including what people wear, the way they stand or sit, the voice pitch and tone, and the way they manage space during a conversation. In Schools the nonverbal communication was never given more importance in the domain of teaching and learning, it is a fact that the classroom communication is highly organized and planned to achieve the preset objectives. Therefore it is very important for both the new and experienced teachers to learn the skill and technique of non verbal communication for smooth functioning of the class. Today teachers are facing an increasingly heterogeneous and multicultural society so it’s important for teachers to have language proficiency and the effectiveness in their communication skills as they are expected to be communicators. Effective communication skills are really important to teachers in their delivery of pedagogy, classroom management and interaction with the class. With the widely accepted theory of constructivism, the role of non-verbal behavour in classroom now plays an important role for teaching content and skills.
Nonverbal communications and classrooms Interactions
In the classroom, students can sense confidence or frustration from the unconscious behaviors of teachers. Cognitively, gestures operate to clarify, contradict, or replace verbal messages. Gestures also serve an important function with regard to regulating the flow of conversation. For example, if a student is talking in class, single nod of the head from the teacher will likely cause that student to continue and perhaps elaborate. Postures as well as gestures are used to indicate attitudes, status, affective moods, approval, deception, warmth, and other variables related to classroom interaction.. Mehrabian and Wiener suggested that only 7% of message is sent through words, with remaining 93% sent nonverbal expressions (depending on author, verbal part goes up to 35%). From my own experience, as a student as a teacher of higher secondary school as well as an Assistant Professor in University, I know that there is variety of nonverbal signals emitted from teachers in classroom which deeply influence the classroom atmosphere, student’s moods, perception, learning and eventually attitudes towards knowledge in educational institutions generally. This is extremely important in higher classes when teacher is primarily supposed to give lectures or talk. Verbal signals (in direct communication) are never so powerful. It is equally important for teachers to learn how to control nonverbal signals and behavior in order to teach more effectively as nonverbal signals are much more difficult to capture, describe and rationally explain because we necessarily have to use words to do that and words are not enough fine and precise tool for this. Nonverbal communications helps us contextualize the educational value as an educative strategy that contributes to the improvement of the classroom atmosphere. This is because appropriate nonverbal communications in school relates to the development of positive feelings both in teachers and students, which is remarkable and exceptionally useful for any educational interaction that is expressed into the teaching framework or the educational environment.
Non Verbal Communication and Classroom management
One cannot talk about classroom management without referring to the use of gestures. When dealing with large classes, the task of managing a classroom becomes difficult and tiring. A more specific example is issuing instructions or commands to a large class, such as paying attention, listening to a classmate who is giving an answer, or else signaling the ‘time over’ for an activity or task. Some students may understand the instruction quickly but others may not, especially if the target language is used. Proximity can be used to encourage student participation and strategically redirect them. Proximity can also help teachers to have better management of classroom because the student disruptive behavior are controlled by approaching them. A successful teacher student communication in classroom indicates teaching proficiency and student learning. Classroom management requires a good management of the teacher talking time so as to keep lively and energetic. This can only be achieved if there is an instructive use of gestures. Apart from managing the teacher talking time, gestures can serve to create a warm and positive atmosphere where learning can take place.
Tips for Teachers
The findings of research studies give insights into how nonverbal communication should be used to improve teaching and help the learner’s progress. It is thus very important for teachers to be aware of the intricacies of nonverbal communication, which they usually take for granted.. For example, teachers may start giving attention to the way they use gestures, proxemics, eye contact, and facial expressions in the classroom. Awareness of nonverbal communication will also encourage teachers to develop their professionalism. Thus, they are expected to use nonverbal communication in the classroom to give feedback, to motivate learners, and have a good classroom management. Good teachers are attractive, smart, and frank and make students laugh in the classroom. All these professional qualities can be fostered by the positive use on nonverbal communication.
Conclusion
Non verbal communication is not only crucial in a plain daily communication; it is also equally important for class room situations as which takes various forms, illustrates or replaces certain aspects of listeners’ brain that deals with the emotional part of the message. Along with verbal behaviour if teachers become aware of their nonverbal communication skill also, it certainly helps them (teachers) to become more proficient at receiving students’ messages as well as more proficient at sending accurate messages.
(Ms.Swaleha Sindhi is Assistant Professor in Department of Educational Administration, The M.S.University of Baroda, Vadodara and Sayed Mukhtar Sadat is Education Project Manager, Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, Taloqan Project Office,
mail at:[email protected])
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