The Importance of Body Language in English Teaching in Senior High School in China

In China，English teachers in senior high school use little body language.Some of them will argue they do use it.However，those body languages they have used are random，far from meaningful ones.If you know how to use meaningful body language，youll find a way to make your classes effective.Body language includes facial expression，gaze，head and body gesture，hand movements，interpersonal distance and spacing，movements in the classroom，intonation and even your dress.（Sean Neill and Chris Caswell，1993，Chapter 2，Body Language for Competent Teachers）Although it is non-verbal or non-spoken，body language may reveal clues to some unspoken intention or feeling.And it is essential to help you motivate students，maintain students interest，manage the class and elicit what you want the students to learn.

As we know，voice is not enough to make your class effective.However，appropriate body language can stimulate the students and hold their interest.Speaking of this，it makes me think of a class in which the teacher explained how “will” was used in future tense.He said “Now I come back from work.I have found the dog from neighborhood left some shit in my garden” with his eyes open widely and disgusting facial expression on his face，“then I argue about the shit with my neighbor on the phone.Can I say：If you dont clean it away，wait for me at home and Ill beat you at 8pm？” with an angry intonation and a body gesture fighting with someone.He has succeeded in arousing the students desire to learn.Sean Neill and Chris Caswell believe “experienced teachers use a great variety of gestures when talking to classes.”（Sean Neill and Chris Caswell，1993，Chapter 7，Body Language for Competent Teachers）So，as a teacher，why not voice “miao” like a cat？ Why not use exaggerated facial expressions to convey being happy，being depressed，being excited？ Why not gesture to make the students know what has happened？ They not only make the students interested in your class and hold their interest，but also follow you easily.

When reposing to the students answers，as it is the case，what the students usually get are such as “yes”，“good”，“well done”，“no”，“sorry，you are wrong”.Instead of voice，you make an unexpected with excitement facial expression to convey “you are great”.You stretch out your hand，waist height to indicate “your answer is not quite right” and then switch to hand doing rolling gesture with an encouraging expression and sufficient wait time.Affection touch is necessary because it is also important to tell the students that you appreciate and concern for them.As a result，students will be encouraged and interested to involve in learning.

Body language is another way to manage your classroom.Jeremy Harmer agrees “most successful teachers move around the classroom to some extent.”（Jeremy Harmer，How to manage teaching and learning，How to teach English）Instead of standing behind the desk，teachers should walk through the aisle and the tables or change his position in the classroom ever and again，which helps monitor classes and activities effectively and also makes all the students involved in the learning.When finding some student absent-minded，walk close to him slowly and make eye contact to indicate come back to the classroom； when some students are always talking in a class，place a hand firmly and decisively on the desk in front of a student and make eye contact to hint everyone else has stopped talking-I want you to as well； when doing speaking activities，offer to move the chair，desks or any other barrier away to help organize “student talk time”； when finding some student need help，kneel beside the student to show you are not literally superior.

Jim Scrivener recommends that using body language can reduces unhelpful or unclear teacher talk when giving instructions and explanations.（Jim Scrivener，2012，Chapter 2.7，Classroom Management Techniques，Cambridge University Press）Mark the stages of a lesson and your words by using body language.You can try the following：Clap your hands or raise your hand to make the students quiet and wait for the next stage； Hands apart，with palms facing in，as if to “fold” around the individual to indicate working on your own； Hands dividing class down middle to convey getting into two parts； Hands held out wide in front as if to “fold” round the class，moved upwards to suggest everybody say together； Hiding paper gesture means keeping your piece of paper secret.When the students associate your body language with instructions，you say nothing saving time and words.

Body language is useful in eliciting.Elicitation is believed an important technique in teaching and learning.Therefore，teachers should learn to elicit by using body language.Let us have a quick look at the following examples：two fingers（or more fingers）-other hand squashes them together means contraction.You can use it to teach the words which have more than two syllables.First，teach the syllables separately，and then use the hand gesture to elicit contraction.It can not only help the students to pronounce correctly，but also remember the word easily according to the pronunciation； when the pronunciation is still wrong，show mouth shape “OOO”，“EEE”，“TH” for correcting a sound.In order to train the students to say longer sentence by adding different target languages，hands held in front of body，waist height，palms facing each other to demand the students make a longer sentence； grammar especially tense is challenging for students.When teaching the Present Simple Tense，you can use a finger draw “S” to remind the students of third persons； when practicing speaking and focusing on tense，point a hand or a finger back of shoulder to indicate past，straight down now and ahead future.

Non-verbal communication contributes to an effective class，which offers opportunity for teachers to remove those unclear and rigmarole instructions and words，to avoid the offence the spoken language causes，to get close to students，to enhance the relationship between teachers and students，and monitor the whole class.As a result，it helps teachers attract students attention； make students interested in what they are learning，and have them always focus on learning in class.Then teachers and students all enjoy the class.In reward，good relationship is built up，playing an important part in teaching and learning.Some teachers may argue that there is no need to use body language because the students in senior school，who are 15 to 18 years old，do not have to coax them as children.Jeremy Harmer suggests that new techniques should be tried out.Admittedly，as a teacher，you must learn to make it clear whether it is useful or enjoyable for students.（Jeremy Harmer，chapter 3，how to manage teaching and learning，how to teach English）

References：

[1]Sean Neill and Chris Caswell，1993，Chapter2，Body Language for Competent Teachers.

[2]Sean Neill and Chris Caswell，1993，Chapter7，Body Language for Competent Teachers.

[3]Jim Scrivener，2012，Chapter 2.7，Classroom Management Techniques，Cambridge University Press.

[4]Jeremy Harmer，chapter 3，how to manage teaching and learning，how to teach English.

[5]Jeremy Harmer，1983，The Practice of English Language Teaching.

[6]2002，Methodology in Language Teaching，Jack C.Richards and Willy A.Renandya，Cambridge University Press.

[7]David Seymour & Maria Popova，2003，700 Classroom Activities.

[8]Jill Hadfield & Charles Hadfield，1999，Oxfordbasics.

作者简介：陆艳，女，中学高级，2011年3月荣获“全国中小学外语教师教学能手”和“全国中小学外语教师名师”称号。2013年被评为“贵州省骨干教师”。