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As an educator, people often ask me how I know what is going on in the minds of my students. Many students are quite shy and don’t speak all that much. At the same time, in a classroom of more than forty students, it is hard to have many one-on-one conversations with each person. So, how can I really know what makes each student tick?
My answer? I look at their body language.It is easy to recognise when students are interested in a lesson. Most tend to look up and make eye contact. When I make a joke, they smile. When I talk about something difficult, they look confused. I know when students are really interested, however, because they lean forward and look at me. People have a tendency to lean towards whatever they are interested in. So if a student has his head lowered to look at his watch, it implies he is bored and just counting the minutes for the class to end. If two friends are leaning their heads together, they are probably writing notes to each other. Of course, not everyone who looks up is paying attention in class. Some students look up，but there is an absence of eye contact. Their eyes barely move, and they always have the same distant expression on their faces. It is as though they are asleep with their eyes open.While it is easy to perceive when students are interested, bored, or distracted, it is sometimes much harder to distinguish when students are troubled. Students who are angry, afraid, or experiencing anxiety may have their arms crossed in front of their chests and their legs closed or crossed, like they are guarding their bodies. Students who are sad or worried will nearly always wear a frown. They may also hide their faces in their hands like they are embarrassed or ashamed. Some students act this way merely because they are afraid of being called on by the teacher. However，if a student does not bother to brush her hair and her eyes are red from weeping，then I can infer that there are deeper issues at work. It could be that she is having serious conflicts with other students or at home. Whatever it is, I know I need to inquire and assess what is going on.Ultimately, my duty is helping every student to learn. Their body language lets me know when to adjust class activities, when to intervene, and when to talk to students individually, so they can all get the most out of school. Reacting to body language is an important component of being a teacher.
