Smile
If you are not happy about what you are doing, students will not be.
A smile can be so important, oftentimes I am not overly enthused about a days topic - to me these are the times to truly fake that enthusiasm or my students will not bother paying attention at all to what might be a boring topic.
I know Im guilty of not always smiling, but there are times that I am in a perfectly good mood and just in thought and get called on it a lot. Its hared to maintain the smileys all the time.
I have been accused of smiling all the time. It appears to help with decreasing anxiety in the classroom.
Hi Laura!
And - what wrong with smiling all the time? Not a thing! Smiling and music is a universal language that can bridge so many gaps. Because of busy hectic lives, when you smile you are connecting with people that may never take a moment to "smell the roses"! Plesae keep up the smiles :-) :-)
Good job!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitatot
That's true, David. As the saying goes, emotion is contagious! If we use our nonverbal communication effectively, we can show students that we are passionate about our subject matter. That passion transfers over to our students and helps to cultivate a positive communication climate. The most positive the classroom environment is, the more comfortable students will be to open up and contribute to the classroom environment.
We can also apply this principle in online classes as well. Even though students might not be able to visually or physically see a smile, we can create a positive and encouraging classroom environment through our writing communication. Whether we are writing to a student in an email, the discussion forum, or grade book, messages can be expressed thoughtfully in an enthusiastic manner.
And anything that helps lessen anxiety is a VERY good thing! :)
This is something I love to do. I find myself always smiling at strangers and receiving a smile in return most of the time. My students know that I am always happy and easy to get a long with.
You receive what you project.
