An Underestimated Tool: Body Language in Classroom during Teaching and Learning

Abstract

For many people who work as presenters, lecturers, or public speakers, they use many tools to deliver their messages besides verbal language. Body Language is the nonverbal aspect of any face-to-face communication, and it is an effective way to establish an authentic relationship between the addresser and the addressee. We learn body language from our childhood just like learning spoken language, without realizing that we do. The difference is that while our linguistic mistakes are corrected, our body language mistakes can be missed or misinterpreted, so we grow up communicating not in the way we should. This paper will tackle types of body language and deal with some differences that are encountered in different cultures in terms of using body movements that accompany speech. The paper will be devoted to exploring how to read basic body language, and as an example, reading body language in terms of gender differences will be discussed. It will also provide information about the teacher's nonverbal behavior, and finally will deal briefly with the student's body language and how it is recognized by the teacher.