Nonverbal Clues
I must admit, I'm guilty of shuffling the papers to look for info while a student is talking. I'll make a conscientious effort to eliminate that behavior in the future.
The thought of discontinuing eye contact with a student that dominates the conversation and walking away from him/her makes sense. However, are you merely trying to say "let someone else talk" or are you sending all the negative messages we try to avoid with nonverbal ques???
Good post, but I sometimes find myself looking at other students for responces while one student is talking.
You have to be careful when using nonverbal cues, because some students don't understand them. They come from all walks of life and may not have learned those cues from their families. Sometimes you just need to be direct with a student when it comes to touchy issues, so there is no grey area.
Hi Robert,
It is easy to do as you know but it is the little things like this can distance a student. By knowing they have your attention they will be more engaged and focused on the learning process.
Gary
Hi Ruston,
What you are trying to do is to cue that student that through the disconnect of the eyes that they have used up their time for talking. This is the first step, if it doesn't work then something will need to be said to the student or he/she will continue to dominate the class throughout the course.
Gary
Hi Laura,
Good point. We, instructors need to "read" out students all the time so we can determine if we need to do something more to get them to abide by the standards of the class.
Gary
I am continuously trying to "read" my students. Their nonverbal communication gives me clues as to what they like or dislike in the classroom and even if they need some advice outside of the classroom.
Adult learners pick up very quickly by your body language if you truly care and are actively listening to what they say.
The students come from all walks of life--some of them are "street smart"--smarter than you are!
What does the "read" my students mean?
Hi Virginia,
Right you are about the students being smart in different ways. I say a saying that captures where these students are coming from. It is "Its not how smart you are but how you are smart." To me this is really true.
Gary
Hi Virginia,
"Reading" students means look for their eye movement, body language and over all attitude in relation to the class. By reading them you can develop a picture of whether or not you are reaching them with your instructional efforts.
Gary
I think body language (non verbal clues) have a direct representation of the instructors dedication to the student. We are in the spotlight every time we enter the classroom. (and out of the classroom of that matter.)
It can also get confusing if you have students from many differnt cultures whose non verbal customs are different than we are use to.
Laura, this is what I have found as well. I work at a technical school and find many of our students have been through quite a lot by the time they decided to come here. This combined with the fact that people are not writing as much, instead depending on texting and email. They have lost their ability to communicate, read body language, speak and write in anything resembling proper english.
It's difficult to both break eye contact and walk away. I don't want to offend the student. I will try walking away while keeping eye contact. Do you think both together work better?
I have also done this in the past. I realize now that rather than using that time to catch up or process paperwork I have been actually giving the impression I didn't care. I feel bad about this now and will make a concerted effort to discontinue this practice and pay more attention to my students.
Hi Dr. Meers,
I really like the quote and want to share it with my students.
I like to teach them the analogy for catching fish: If you feed a man a fish you feed him for a day but if you teach the man how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. The same holds true for education. We are responsible to teach our students how to learn so that they can continue learning for a lifetime. It's not totally about remembering how to enter and Excel formula or create a Power Point presentation as these things can be looked up in a reference guide as much as it is about teaching them how to [critically] think and respond to the environments around them.
Once the students realize that they know how to be smart, their self esteem imporves and they take off and begin soaring with the eagles.
Hi Michele,
I can tell you are going to have a great career in teaching. You have the wisdom to capture the essence of student needs and then build an educational plan around those needs. Yes, you are going to teach them to "fish/learn" for a lifetime.
Gary
