How to make use of expressions and gestures to help reduce unhelpful or unclear teacher talk when giving instructions or explanations.

With low-level classes, gestures and expressions add a crucial element to instructions and explanations.

They provide visual support that helps learners understand what is being said.

They also allow the teacher to say less, which by itself may help to make the instruction or explanation clearer.

When you start to use gestures, learners will learn to associate the gesture with an instruction.

After you have used a gesture several times, you will find that you can reduce the words you need to say or even say nothing.

For example, the gesture for ‘gets into pairs’ along with the word ‘pairs’ may well be sufficient to get the class organised.

A word of warning, though!
Gestures and movements do not always mean the same things internationally.
If you are working outside your own culture, or with students from other countries, try to learn which gestures have inappropriate or rude meanings.
You can’t take anything for granted; in some countries, nodding left/right means ‘yes’ and up/down means ‘no’!

General guidance for using gestures and expressions

Be sure your gestures are clear.
Make them confidently.
Don’t half do them because of embarrassment.
Go for bigger, wider gestures, rather than cramped-in, closed-up ones.
Remember that your gestures are seen from the opposite viewpoint from the one you have. Visualise what the students can see from their angle, and adapt if necessary.
Allow enough time for your gestures to be seen before you stop them.
For some key gestures, this may mean at least four or five seconds, rather than just putting your hand out and immediately withdrawing it.

Think of making gestures in three moves:

Making the gesture,
Holding it, as if on pause,
Stopping the gesture.

But it is important to note that stage 2 (holding it) is often the crucial one that goes wrong because it is done too quickly.

Eyebrows are very helpful for conveying reactions, especially for showing interest and encouraging further speaking.
Exaggerate your normal eyebrow movements in class.
And please don’t use raised eyebrows only to convey that it was bad behaviour.
Don’t forget to encourage students to also use gestures and expressions.
So much classroom practice is ‘armless’! Yet even dull repetition drills and exercises come alive with the added use of gestures.
When you want students to repeat a sentence, check out your way of saying it, and see what gestures and expressions you naturally use (such as a widening of arms).
In class, model saying the words with the gestures, and get students to repeat the words and movement.

Eye contact expressions and gestures

One of the most important tools at your disposal is eye contact, and it’s one to work on improving if you find it hard.

The key techniques are to:

Make eye contact with students (rather than avoiding it).
Don’t use pieces of paper or books as a way of hiding.
Try to keep in regular eye contact with people in the class, even when doing focused tasks such as writing on the board.
Allow your eye contact to remain relaxed, warm, and unthreatening (rather than cold or staring).
Express how you feel, showing the person behind the eyes, your warmth, your changing reactions, sense of interest, and enjoyment (rather than just mechanically moving the eyes).

A few suggestions on how to effectively use eye contact.

You cannot make eye contact with a whole class at once, but you can make eye contact with several individuals in it.
When you teach the whole class from the front, don’t speak to ‘the room in general’ or ‘a space slightly above everyone’s heads’, the back wall of the room.
Similarly, don’t lock your gaze onto one or two individuals and stay with them all the time you talk.
Try making eye contact with one student, holding it for five to ten seconds, then gently bouncing your gaze around the room to a random different person, and so on through the time you are speaking.
Make sure you catch the eye of people in different parts of the room: back, middle, and front, left centre, and right.
When you talk with students working in pairs or groups, try the same technique, looking at one for a while and then undramatically shifting your focus to another.
When you talk with an individual, use your eye contact to show that you are with them, listening, and interested.
Use eye contact to indicate who you want to talk to.
Sometimes this can do away with the need for a verbal instruction.
You can use eye contact to keep in touch with other students in the class or group when you are dealing with an individual, perhaps when correcting.
Your eyes can say to them/You’re involved too.

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As a facilitator, you need to be aware of when eye contact is potentially unhelpful/during any activity that doesn’t demand teacher-centered control, avoid eye contact unless you are specifically asked for help or choose to join in. As soon as you establish eye contact, you are brought into the activity.’

This would be helpful when learners are making front-of-class presentations to their peers.

They will have a natural inclination to focus on telling you and watching for your reaction, rather than speaking to the other students.

Help them direct their attention to the whole class by deliberately not making eye contact with them.

Instead, keep your eyes in a relaxed way on the people they are presenting to.

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