The Application of Teachers’ Body Language in English Teach(8)

(name of author) 8

picture and ask a student, “ what is this? ” the student answer, “this is Mary‟s…”, if the student forget the word “mother”, then the teacher could use mouth without sound to implicate the student. Expect for use mouth, it also could use gesture or posture. Due to the especially psychological in English teaching, this kind of implication is very useful to increase the students‟self-confidence and overcome their timidity. Some researches indicated that if people forget some words when they are in communication, they always have the aid of body language. For example, in classroom teaching, the teacher asks a student, “what is your favorite sport?”, if the student cannot remember the word “basketball”temporarily, he will do a behavior of play basketball first, then speak the word “basketball”. In the process of pick up words, body language takes an important effect. So body language has the function of the implication of verbal language.

III. Ways of using body language in English teaching

A. The use of facial expression

Facial expression is just like an amplified barometer and the sign of motion changing; it could reflect the thoughts and feelings of human beings fleetly and truly. So if the teachers could use facial expression properly, it could active the classroom atmosphere largely, especially the use of smile and eye contact.

i. The use of eye contact

Leonardo da Vinci had said that the eye is the window of heart. In human communication, the function of eyes is inevitable. In English teaching, direct criticize would wound the students‟ pride, in further, it will make the students lose the interesting of learning English. As an English teacher, he or she should realized that eye contact could either express the emotion of teaching or make communicate with the students. As a result, the teachers‟ eye contact with the students is essential for improve teachers‟ performance. Firstly, the teachers should understand the students‟ facial expression. It means that from the students‟ behaviors or expressions, the teachers could see their teaching effect, discriminate the students‟ learning situation. Then according to this, the teachers adjust the teaching speed or arouse the students‟ attention. Secondly, between the students and teachers, it should have eye contact. Because the teachers‟kind and expectant eye contact could make the students feel the sense of security, move out of pure fear, and shorten the emotional distance between the students and teachers.

ii. The use of smile

The smile is the symbol of confidence and friendship, it is also a effective means to control classroom