Having taught in a few different countries where I did not understand most of what is being said around me, I have come to rely heavily on non-verbal behaviors and nuances, to understand and communicate with others. This is true whether I’m at the supermarket, at a dinner party, and especially in my ESL classroom. All teachers need to be receptive to communicative behaviors beyond speaking in the classroom, but the teacher’s receptors need to be even higher when language barriers make natural verbal communication difficult. The following are some of the behaviors, situations and cues I’ve experienced with my students and taken communicative meaning from.
The first element I notice when I walk in to a classroom is the overall ‘vibe’, mood or atmosphere of that particular class on that day. If students have coffees, for example, are making light chatter, looking happy and sitting up in their desks, I feel that they are eager to learn with me. If students are quiet and looking a little nervous, stoically waiting for me to begin speaking and break the silence, I feel that it may be difficult to help them feel it is safe to speak out. If students are not in their desks, visiting with others, and it takes a lot for me to get their attention, I feel that the class is going to be a challenge.
Some of the subtle behaviors that indicate respect in a particular culture are a good way for me to gauge how much students like my teaching. In East Asian cultures, if students bow respectfully in the hallway, or if students wait to get up after class until I have gathered my own books and left the class, it tells me that they have the same respect or fondness for me as their other native instructors, not only seeing me as strange foreigner that doesn’t need to be accorded the usual customs. If a student gives me a small gift, it tells me she thinks I have worked hard.
One of the best behavioral indicators any teacher can have that her students are happy with her teaching and attempting to learn something new is simply that they are paying attention. This is indicated by students focused on the teacher, taking notes when appropriate, responding when asked laughing at jokes, and quickly engaging in tasks when invited to begin them. The opposite resembles students doing things such as homework from another class, taking pictures, sending messages, and whispering with their neighbors. Students have further indicated eagerness to learn by being on time, or coming late to class, by filling the desks in the front near me, or gathering near the back of the room, having their textbooks ready to go or needing to run to their lockers. Finally, the behavior that speaks the loudest is silence. An unresponsive class must be the clearest indicator that some form of adjustment in a teacher’s approach is necessary.
After much improvement of my teaching approach and attitude, and an understanding of the culture in which I teach, the negative behaviors I’ve discussed rarely happen now. I’m glad to have experienced as much positive and negative non-verbal feedback as I have because it has helped me become the teacher I am today.
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