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1、TheUseofBodyLanguageinEnglishTeachingAbstract: With the continual reform of language teaching and learning methods, teachers are required to organize the classes in English and create English-learning environments. However, with the limitation of students vocabulary, teachers have to simplify their
2、teaching language with the help of Body Language . This paper points out some mistakes that English teachers have made in the classroom ; explains the importance of Body Language in English teaching, from the four parts of Eyesight, Countenance, Gesture and Manner ; illustrates how teachers should p
3、roperly use Body Language by examples and shows various kinds of Body Languge used in English teaching . Teaching English with the help of Body Languge can improve the students interest of learning English and optimize the English course design. Key words: Body Language, English teaching, Eyesight,
4、Countenance, Gesture, Manner 1. Introduction: According to the thoroughgoing policy of opening to the outside world in our country , also with the new situation of joining in WTO and hosting the Olympic games 2008 , English has become a more common feature in todays society . The schools at all leve
5、ls also enhance the English teaching, even the Kindergarden . Although the foreign language teaching involves the outline, teaching materials and teaching methods etc., it can be reflected and achieved only through the process of real and practical classroom (Allwright and Beiley,1991). For language
6、 , it is so important to improve the teaching quality , teachers had to pay more attention to the research of language teaching . In English teaching classroom, teachers should not only use the oral language and written language to deliver the information, but also make use of the silent Body Langua
7、ge .2. Definition of Body Language what is Body Language? It should be spoken of the Nonverbal social intercourse and the Nonverbal behavior. In human social intercourse process, specially the oral communication , people have some body movement while talking , such as body posture, countenance , ges
8、ture and so on. They are also delivering the information, making a set of system which is equal to the language signal one, the Nonverbal social intercourse (Yu Aihong,2002). People call the behavior for using the nonverbal method to communicate, Nonverbal Behavior. Body Language is expressing how o
9、ne feels by the way one sits, stands, moves, etc rather than by words (Oxford Advanced Learners English-Chinese Dictionary , 2001).3. Teachers some mistakes in English teaching As everyone knows, the classroom teaching is one of the most important ways that the students learn English. As far as the
10、English teaching in many schools is concerned, teachers have to arouse the students interest so that they may learn better. There are many ways to arouse the students interest and help them to learn better, and body language used in English teaching is one of them. However, English teachers seldom r
11、ealize that they should use proper body language during their teaching process . They just consider the situation all the students are attending to the lecture when a teacher has his class to be a good one. Actually, the fact is not so simple as they think . In English teaching process, there is suc
12、h a phenomenon yet : Although with the same teaching materials, the students , the teachers knowledge and experience, the teaching effect is completely different . Some teachers classes are very interesting, the classroom atmosphere is so brisk that everyone is active to answer the questions and lis
13、tens to the teacher carefully ; while some teachers classes are so boring that almost all the students are“In one place physically, but another place in mind and heart.” Why there is such a phenomenon? The main reason is whether the teacher could have his lesson vivid and attract the students attent
14、ion ; whether the teacher can stir up the students thirst for knowledge . The educationist of former Soviet Union Sue ( Jin yule, 2000 ) once said : If the teacher does not try to surge up the students motion, then the knowledge can only cause a kind of apathetic attitude, and a motionless affection
15、 can only cause the fatigue. Therefore , if the teacher wants to have the lessons lasting vivid , he can not use that kind of model for just speaking inflexiblely on the platform , but should make use of the body language fittingly , accurately and proficiently. 4. The necessity and importance of us
16、ing body language in English teachingIn order to evaluate the true role of English in the school system, it is important for the teachers who are not native speakers to evaluate their knowledge of and ability to use English (Fraid Dubin and Elite Olshtain, 2002). English teaching is really a key par
17、t of the school education. In school education, body language plays a positive role in cultivating the students characters. Body language is also an important media through which people communicate with each other. Briefly speaking , Body Language is expressing a certain meaning of a kind of silent
18、language by gesture , manner and countenance , which includes eyesight language, facial language, hand language, body language and so on . According to experts, our non-verbal language communicates about 50% of what we really mean (voice tonality contributes 38%) while words themselves contribute a
19、mere 7%. Our bodies send out messages constantly and often we dont recognize that were communicating a lot more than we realize ( S., Chen, D., Watts, J., 1992 ). The behavioral scientists tell us that almost the whole body language can be used as the manners for human communication and be served fo
20、r the teaching.The United States psychologist Albert Melabin, (Zuang Jinying, Li Zhencun,1995) 1968, made an experiment to prove that the total result of the information=7% writing+38% tone+55% countenance and movement. The linguist Mr Lu says: The foreign language teacher should be able to perform
21、and dance for joy , make a vivid gesture , movement and countenance as an actor , should not always be gentle and cultivated or just stand stiffly on the platform.( Guo Xuehua ,1999). Body Language not only replenishes and deepens the verbal language , but also takes an unsubstitutive effect on the
22、verbal language . If the teacher can use the Body Language fittingly , accurately and proficiently to assist the teaching in the classroom , it can not only draw on the students attention, bring up their study interest, but also enable them the accurate understanding of language contents , deepen th
23、eir impression. From the above we can learn , the use of body language in English teaching is necessary and practical. In the English teaching , body language is frequently used to improve the teaching effect and the students ability.5. The concrete application of body language with Eyesight, Counte
24、nance, Gesture and Manner in English teaching Eyesight, Countenance, Gesture and Manner are the four key attributes of physical delivery, or Body Languge. Body Language will help determine whether the teachers successfully gain and hold the students interest. Teachers graceful body language helps to
25、 improve the students artistic-appreciation and moral character. So we should pay great attention to the Body Language research for its importance in foreign language teaching . i. Eyesight Eye contact is the most important one of all.As everyone knows , eye is the window of someones heart . We can
26、know what he doubts, how he loves or hates , whether he approves or disapproves just from the pupils size , the luminosity , the visual angle , the gazing time , the changing frequency and so on . The high level of teaching is the exchange and the harmonization of the heart . People deeply believe t
27、hat they can explore the heart world by the changing eyesight , such as the size of the eyes , the moving angle of the eyeballs and the cooperation of the arounding eye muscle , which can express innumerable feeling and attitude change . As a result, the teacher should give free rein to the function
28、 of eyesight and use the sight effectly. For example, if the students are still very exciting before class , the teacher can look around the whole class to attract their attention and also transfer the meaning that it is the class time . The foreign language educationists believe that teacher should
29、 look steadily at every student while having a class because it means love and equality to make the students realize the teachers valuable attention , which can raise their dynamic role of study . Furthermore , teachers should try to establish eye contact with the entire students, but should not jus
30、t with the front row or only one or two students, or just stare at the student who is going to be asked , because it can not let all the students think about the question . He should have a balanced eyesight looks to the back and front and from side to side around the whole class. When the teacher f
31、inds someone is absent-minded or does anything else , he can still have his class, simultaneously, he can also give the student a kindly eyesight to attract his attention . Even when someone is late for class , teachers can use the eyesight to hint that he can come into the classroom , in order to a
32、void dispersing the other students attention . In short , the loving and kind eyesight often get into the students memory along with the teaching contents . So the teachers good moral quality is deeply engraved on the students mind by such eyesight .ii. Countenance Countenance is the whole showing s
33、creen of peoples mind, thought and nerve . All the pleasure, anger, anxiety, think, sorrow and fear of a person can be reflected out from the countenance. Our faces play a key role in expressing our thoughts, and especially our emotions and attitudes. According to cross-cultural studies by social ps
34、ychologist Paul Ekman, the countenance is able to read peoples emotional expressions clearly (S., Chen, D., Watts, J., 1992). Therefore, teacher should aim at the different circumstance appeared in the English teaching classroom, being good at talking and performing with the face . Take it for examp
35、le, the author has ever met two teachers who had the entirely different countenance when having their classes . For one teacher, his students always expect to have his lessons. When he has his class, he is unlike a teacher but resembles to be an experienced excellent actor. When speaking something i
36、nteresting, his countenance seems to be pleased ; when speaking something sad , he will express the sadness countenance ; when meeting some problem , he will frown ; when it has been solved , he will be exuberant . In a word , the students are deeply attracted by his vivid and perfect countenance. O
37、n the contrary, another teacher always go straight to the topic . No matter she has what kinds of contents , she just stands on the platform with a stern countenance all the time, but the students are all absent-minded . With such teaching atmosphere, we can imagine the teaching effect is certainly
38、bad . Of course, we are not advocating that teachers adopt a phony smile that looks insincere and plastered on the face, but a pleasant countenance helps establish a positive emotional climate. Teachers countenance should naturally vary to be consistent with their messages. To communicate interest i
39、n their listeners, teachers should note whether they are allowing the faces to help communicate the emotional tone of their thoughts.iii. Gesture The Gesture also rises an essential function in English teaching. An important word written on the blackboard may be firmly kept in the students mind beca
40、use of a beautiful gesture ; a phrase mistake may possibly not be erred by the students because of a right rectifiable gesture. According to the students present level and practical situation, gesture is required. For example, when a teacher talks about a short phrase “thumb a lift ”, she explains t
41、o the students try to get a free ride in a motor vehicle by signaling with one s thumb; it is customary for a person in the US to behave on the road, we also can say to hitch- hike . After the teacher has said a second time, the students could not understand what it meant yet . Then , the teacher sa
42、id look at my hand, she stretched out her hands, thumbed up and wagged lightly, with English explaination at the same time .The students suddenly saw the light, having a vivid understanding and a deep memory for the short phrase . Whats more, Gestures can help us reinforce the verbal message. For ex
43、ample, the teacher says, “I have three major points to talk about today,”while holding up three fingers. Or he can describe an objects as twelve inches long while holding his hands about a foot apart. In short , an accurate and moderate gesture can not only transmit the thought but also strengthen t
44、he persuasiveness and influence of teachers verbal language . In a word, the vivid gesture together with the fluent English can create a good circumstance of learning, which will surely play an active part in improving the students study ability. iv. Manner The educationists believe that Manner is a
45、 moving action of a persons body and is also a kind of information system of expressing body language. The England philosopher Bacon believes that beauty of looks is higher than the color and luster one , yet the graceful and elegant beauty of action is higher than the beauty of looks (Zuang Jinying
46、, Li Zhencun,1995 ). In English teaching classroom , the teacher should have the proper, elegant and composed manner to attract and stabilize the students attention , which will rise a function of “Silent is superior to Sound ”. When the teacher has a class, he should not always stand on the platfor
47、m, but should take a proper stroll around the students. When the students do their practice, the teacher can also take a stroll at the students , checking their exercise, promoting the exchanges of teachers and students. In short , good manners can gather the students attention , make a better under
48、standing and master knowlege foundation for the students . At the same time, it will also give the students a model function, such as the teachers statements and actions, the attitude of treating the persons and dealing with things, which will affect the students unconsciously. It is also a kind of
49、imperceptible influence.The teacher should make use of this kind of influence in the positive aspects, drawing support from the manner to assist the English teaching .6. The Use of Various kinds of Body Languge in English teaching At present time , with the English teaching methods reform, more and more English teachers organize the teaching activities in English so that they may realize the Communicative English. The Communicated English means that teach