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Mannerisms & Body Language

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Teaching Arts

Overview

In this lesson, we explore how mannerisms and body language contribute to effective teaching, including considerations for gaze, expression, and presence.

Objective

Become familiar with how your body language, facial expression, and gaze impact students, and understand how to appeal to different learning styles.

What You'll Get

You'll learn that what you project through your eyes, face, and body matters as much as what you say. This includes becoming conscious of where you look, how long you hold students' gaze, whether your face unconsciously appears stern when thinking, and how to soften your expression with breath. You'll discover strategies for appealing to visual, verbal, intuitive, and kinesthetic learners through demonstration, clear language, metaphor, and touch. You'll also explore how to display a balance of confidence and humility that serves your students.

Questions Answered Here

What are some considerations related to your body language, expression and gaze while teaching?
How might you appeal to students with different learning styles?
When considering your presence in terms of confidence and humility, what are some questions you can ask yourself?

Gaze & Expression

What a person projects is determined in part by what she does with her eyes and face, as well as overall body language. Consider consciously softening your face and expression to support your words.

Consider if you tend to smile softly at students or if you might want to consciously increase how often you smile.

Learn what expression you make when thinking or speaking, and when you are listening or reflecting. If you unconsciously create a stern face when thinking, for instance, practice softening your face.

We invite you also to notice where you look when you are teaching, including during the opening and during various parts of class.

How long do you hold a student’s gaze?
Do you look at every student or a subset of students?
Whether you’re looking into students’ eyes, at students’ bodies, at the floor or space while speaking, are you conscious of your tendencies?

Use a conscious breath a primary way to soften your expression, gaze and body language.

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