Teaching Tip:

Nonverbal communication is quite important across cultures, and it is therefore important for future and current international teaching assistants to be aware of the differences between cultures in terms of behavior and body language as applied to the classroom. The following activity, which focuses on body language, was carried out in a one 75-minute class with a group of 15 students.

Body Language Activity

• Start off with a short discussion on nonverbal communication and body language, focusing on cross-cultural differences with regard to classroom behavior.

• Then ask students to write a 1-minute speech introducing themselves to their “future” students. This could include anything from educational background and work experience to hobbies and personal life.

• Ask students to present their 1-minute introductions to their peers, and record them with a video camera (not letting them know that body language will be analyzed after the introductions).

• Lastly, as a class, view the videos one-by-one on mute and ask students to analyze their body language in terms of posture, eye contact, gestures, facial expressions, and other features of body language.
  
  

The salient features which stood out in the class discussion following the activity included the noticing of different ways body language was used that students were not initially aware off. These included:

• Noticing of the extensive use of hand movement

• Lack of hand movement and gestures

• Lack of eye contact

• Lack of facial expressions such as smiling
  
  

Most notably, prior to showing the videos, students were asked if they felt confident while they were introducing themselves, and the majority stated that they did not. However, in introductions made after viewing the videos, students expressed that they looked very confident in the videos. It was apparent that this activity boosted their morale and made them feel more comfortable and confident about their nonverbal communication while presenting in front of their peers.

This eye-opening activity is easy to prepare and an excellent way to make the future ITAs aware of their own body language as well as the accepted behavior in the U.S. classroom.

Jelena Vuksanovic is an instructor of spoken English for ITAs and also teaches in the Academic English Program at INTO USF. She is currently working on her PhD in second language acquisition and instructional technology. Her research interests include multilingualism, emotions, and motivation.