THE APPLICATION OF BODY LANGUAGE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHING 论小学英语教学中体态语的应用

1、the application of body language in elementary school english teaching 论小学英语教学中体态语的应用论小学英语教学中体态语的应用 acknowledgments firstly, i am extremely thankful to my supervisor, ma , for his insightful and invaluable advice, without which i could not have completed this thesis. my genuine gratitude is also ext

2、ended to other professors in the school of foreign languages, who taught me in the past three years. their lectures laid a solid foundation for my further study in english my heartfelt thanks also extend to my parents and my best friend who always back me up to go further my studies and to finish th

3、e thesis. abstract body language plays a very important role in elementary school english teaching. body language can promote mutual understanding between teachers and students, arouse students interest, enrich the content of english teaching, diversify teaching methods and add vividness to the clas

4、sroom atmosphere. in this article, the accessibility and necessity of body language are expounded, emphasizing the proper use of body language in english education, including eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, and posture. this paper argues that in elementary school english class, for a wide

5、 range of reasons, teachers should pay enough attention to body language and properly use it as a teaching tactic. key words: body language; english teaching; elementary school 摘摘 要要 体态语在小学英语教学中扮演着举足轻重的角色。体态语能够促进教师和 学生的相互交流、激发学生学习兴趣、丰富教学内容、使教学方法多样化、令 课堂充满生趣。本文在阐释它的可行性和必要性的同时，重点强调了如何正确 运用体态语，包括目光接触、面

6、部表情、手势语、和体态姿势。因此，在小学 英语教学中，教师应把体态语作为一种有效的教学手段，重视并且合理恰当的 运用。 关关 键键 词词:体态语；英语教学；小学 introduction as far as the english teaching in elementary school is concerned, teachers have to face the issue of how to arouse students interest and increase teaching efficiency. body language, a kind of non-verbal beh

7、avior that can express emotions, exchange ideas and transmit information through eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and posture and so on, plays an indispensable role in helping students learn effectively. proper application of body language can improve teaching quality and efficiency and mak

8、e the class vivid and colorful. there are some publications which propose the importance of body language in the field of education. they mainly discuss body language from the angle of the teachers. for instance, shen minxian wrote the use of the body language in elementary school. in this book, the

9、 author mentions the artistry of body language, including eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, and posture. shen argues the body language has the function of attracting students attention and complementing spoken language in classroom teaching. (shen minxian, 1999: 126). providing another exam

10、ple, wang qiangs elementary school english teaching methodology emphasizes the practical aspects of teaching english, particularly practical activities and techniques for teachers to apply in the classroom. in this book, the importance of body language is considered to help childrens understanding a

11、nd create a happy, light and more comfortable classroom atmosphere. (wang qiang, 2002: 78). in this article, the author mainly argues that teaching english with the help of body language has a great effect to achieve teaching goals and teachers should pay adequate attention to proper application of

12、body language. this paper can be mainly divided into three parts. the first part provides some definitions of key body language given by some famous experts and the author herself. in the second part, the author attempts to explore the concrete application of body language through eyesight, facial e

13、xpressions, gestures, and posture in elementary school english teaching, combined with the analysis of the accessibility, necessity, and principles of using body language. the last part shows the significance of applying body language in elementary school english teaching. 1. the definition of body

14、language many definitions of body language have been formulated by experts. some definitions are general. for example, body language is defined as a language without words; or body language indicates all communicative symbols except oral speech. (harrison, r, 1974: 133). some definitions are specifi

15、c. for instance, samovar and porters definition is such case: body language is the specially, biologically, psychologically or culturally framed exchange of valuable messages which are not verbally spoken out but conveyed by the body, gesture, symbol or relevant context and surrounding environment e

16、tc. (samovar, l. establishing curiosity in english; enjoying listening to english; being able to play a simple role; comparing the difference among different countries and regions; knowing some customs and understanding the culture of foreign countries. all of those depend on body language which can

17、 stimulate pupils interest and keep them clear-minded in study. besides, applying body language can lead pupils to do some activities. whats more, pupils can discover aspects of diversity in applying body language through cross-cultural customs. 2.2 some points when using body language in elementary

18、 school english teaching teachers should take note to some rules and principles when they exploit body language because pupils may imitate their behavior subconsciously. there are some tips for teachers to employ body language in elementary school english teaching. 2.2.1 using body language under ap

19、propriate occasions the whole class for an english teacher should not be exclusively devoted to speaking nor should it be a continuous acting session. it should be a blend of action and speaking together, which means combining body language and verbal language concurrently. so, in the class, teacher

20、s should know when and where to use body language. if they use unsuitable body language, they will leave a bad impression on the students and disappoint their students. 2.2.2 accuracy and frequency teachers body language is used as a form of assistance to allow students to understand what teachers s

21、ay. if teachers overuse body language, it will not be good for the students. on the contrary, it will divert the students attention, and all further body language will lose its function. if teachers act all the time in class they could dazzle students so that body language confuses them rather than

22、helping in their understanding. so, teachers should pay close attention to the frequency of using body language in class. moreover, teachers should take note of the accuracy of the body language they use when they give lessons. if teachers present an unsuitable or incorrect body language, students w

23、ill be easily misled because of their strong imitative cpmpetence. thus, body language will not give full play to its positive function and instead it will play a negative role. for example, when teachers are giving lessons, some teachers like to scratch their heads or twirl the chalk all the time.

24、these actions do not only spoil the image of the teacher, but also draw away the attention of students from the lesson at hand. because of the above-mentioned reasons, teachers should use accurate and appropriate body language when giving lessons. 2.2.3 combining body language and culture because en

25、glish stems from europe, it carries with different cultural traditions, history and customs. the same body language movement may have different meanings in different countries. so we should pay attention to the differences of culture background when using body language. for example, in most of natio

26、ns worlwide, a nod stands for yes; shaking ones head denotes no; but in some cultures the understanding for the two actions is exactly opposite. therefore, when teachers use body language, they should first learn about, and then respect different countrys cultural connotations and explain the differ

27、ent cultural connotations to students with the help of body language. 2.2.4 sense of art using the same content, different teachers can come up with different understandings due to many different factors. they could use different body language to express such various understandings. in this sense, t

28、eachers have an artistic freedom in interpreting their material. nevertheless, beauty always attracts and ugliness always repels. thus, teachers shouldnt use negative body language in class, because they will pay the price of distracting their students or even worse, offending them. hence, teachers

29、should consciously refrain from using negative body language such as scratching the ears from time to time and abstain from even unconsciously diplaying insulting gestures. teachers should make sure that all of their body language movements are beautiful and smooth. (zhuang jinying during his resear

30、ch ekmen met two teachers who displayed entirely different countenance when during their classes. for one teacher, when he has his class, he is less like a teacher but much more reminiscent of an experienced actor. when speaking about something interesting, his expression seems to be pleased; when a

31、ddresing something sad, he will display a sadness expression; when meeting some problems, he will frown; when the problems have been solved, he will show exuberance. in a word, the students are deeply attracted by his vivid and dramatic countenance. on the contrary, another teacher always goes strai

32、ght to the topic. no matter what the content of her lesson is, she just stands on the platform with a stern expression all the time, leading the students to become absent-minded. of course, we are not advocating that teachers adopt a phony smile that looks insincere and plastered on the face, but ra

33、ther a pleasant, appropriately emotional expression. teachers expression should appear naturally consistent with their messages. to active interest in their listeners, during the lesson planning stage teachers should note when and where they should employ facial expression to help communicate the em

34、otional tone of their thoughts. teachers should take the advantage of facial expressions to display the teaching content vividly and clearly. the facial expressions the teachers pursue must be cordial and sincere, letting students feel warm and relax as to allow them to absorb knowledge unconsciousl

35、y. only in this way can teachers and students cope with each other more effectively and better enhance the atmosphere of the classroom. if teachers are always dumb as a wooden chicken or as cold as ice, that will make students feel nervous and frightened and it will greatly reduce the effectiveness

36、of teaching. because of these reasons, its necessary to express a nice facial expression in the teaching process. 2.3.3 teachers gestures using gestures does not only transmit messages and express emotion but also reinforce the power of persuasion and influence. in class, teachers should take advant

37、age of gestures to explain what they intend to teach. for example, when a teacher tries to interpret a short phrase thumb a lift, the teacher explains that it means getting a free ride in a motor vehicle by signaling with ones thumb, which is an old custom for a person in the us to behave on the roa

38、d. after the teacher has said a second time, the students still might not understand what it meant yet. the teacher can now say look at my hand while stretching out his or her hand, thumb up and shake lightly while providing an english explanation at the same time. the students can then see the ligh

39、t, obtaining a vivid understanding and a deep memory for the short phrase. whats more, gestures can help us reinforce the verbal message. for instance, the teacher says, i have three major points to talk about today. while holding up three fingers. or, the teacher describes an object that is twelve

40、inches long while holding his or her hands about a foot apart. in short, an accurate and moderate gesture can not only transmit the thought but also strengthen the persuasiveness and influence of teachers verbal language. however, any matter has two sides, and the case is also true of teachers gestu

41、re. as a result, teachers need to consciously abandon negative gestures. for example, avoid pointing at somebody with forefinger because in many countries it gives pupils an impolite notion; cease endlessly knocking at the desk, for this diverts pupils attention and distract them; resist putting han

42、ds in pants pockets, as this gives pupils a lazy and arrogant impression; abandon clenching fist to voice indignation, for that leads to pupils fearing the teacher and only widening the gap between teachers and students. gestures are the most commonly used action in the classroom teaching. vivid ges

43、tures along side fluent english can create a good ambiance for learning, which will surely play an active part in improving the students study ability. of course, improper gestures will also give the feeling of redundancy to the point that it leads to the bad classroom atmosphere and has a bad impac

44、t on teaching effectiveness. 2.3.4 teachers posture educationists believe that posture is a significant aspect of a persons body language. in an english teaching classroom, a teacher should have a proper, neat and composed posture to attract and stabilize the students attention. when teachers are tr

45、ying to write something on the blackboard, they turn their whole body to the blackboard, showing only their backs towards the students. this posture is really impolite. teachers should always attempt to turn a forty-five degree angle when writing on the blackboard. in this way, students can hear the

46、m more effectively and even look at what they are writing. teachers should try to be comfortably upright, squarely facing the students and leaning forward to listen to students if they have questions or answers. they can also evenly distribute the weight to change students mood, draw students attent

47、ion and reinforce some ideas. furthermore, the teachers behavior will also provide students with a good model so that they may unconsciously learn the teachers proper actions and improve their social communication skills. it is a kind of imperceptible, yet very important influence. in brief, for a t

48、eacher, standing or sitting in a relaxing, professional manner is a positive posture, which can arouse students positive attitude and show them that their teacher is approachable, receptive and friendly. 3. the significance of applying body language in elementary school english teaching in elementar

49、y english teaching, body language can play a positive role in cultivating students characters. this is because body language can improve the bilateral exchange of emotion between teachers and students in order to make knowledge easily absorbed by the students. some researches on educational psycholo

50、gy indicate that the development of the students intelligence is affected by their mood in class. (zhu zhixian, 2003: 323). the variations of the teachers behavior and displayed expressions have a strong impact on the students mood. the teachers expressions, eyesight and gestures affect the students

51、 mental states and studying attitudes. besides, because the cognitive ability of the pupils is limited, teachers need to use body language to help reinforce their teaching so that they can better arouse the students interest in learning english. the positive effects of the teachers body language on

52、the students are achieved not only by providing a good example but also by shortening the teacher-student estrangement through the creation of a more harmonious atmosphere. with the rapid development of our integrating world, more and more english teachers are realizing the importance of real commun

53、ication in english. that is why teachers are paying more attention to the problems of english language teaching. teachers often find that their pupils cannot properly speak english, nor can they understand when and why they should use different vocal tones in different scenarios or even utilize an a

54、dequate vocabulary. therefore, according to the pupils level and practical situations, teachers find that body language is quintessential action in conveying the knowledge. the following are the main functions of body language in lementary school english teaching. 3.1 enlivening the classroom and st

55、irring the students interest in learning english the application of body language is a wonderful tool for elementary school english teaching and it can directly influence the effect of teaching. (shen minxian, 1999: 54). when beginning to learning english, pupils are keen on the language since it is

56、 fresh,novel and totally different from chinese; they are usually happy to take part in english learning activities. as time goes on, they often lose their interest because of the habitual, unchanging teaching and learning methods they are exposed to. within the limitations of the standard education

57、, if teachers give lessons with the help of body language, they can arouse students participation and fill the classroom with inventiveness despite the old methods still being employed. for example, when teachers teach body parts vocabulary, they can let the students touch their own body parts whils

58、t listening to and repeating the words. teachers and students swing their arms, move their mouths and flutter their eyes and so on. students, especially young learners, feel immense pleasure in having such a class. teachers should add cheerfulness to the class by expressing their meanings incisively

59、 and vividly through rich and varied expressions and gestures. this helps students develop a stronger interest in learning english. such teaching also stimulates the classroom atmosphere and enhances students confidence, which mobilizes students incessant enthusiasm for english learning. 3.2 simplif

60、ying the knowledge and creating english environment the distinct aim of learning english for an english learner is to obtain the competence which can make him or her communicate with others fluently. elementary schools, however, have a special problem that their pupils, especially those in lower gra