Week 13 Task Blog: #8 Use nonverbal cues to keep a group of students on task. The Effectiveness of Nonverbal Cues in the ClassroomThe spunk of my fourth graders is complimented by their developing logical and rational thinking, which creates talkative, opinionated and enthusiastic learners. The students are seated in groups of 4 to 6 for collaboration, which has led to the learners creating friendships with their peers. This group seating often leads students to off-task behavior or conversations, which can be easily suppressed with nonverbal cues. After extensive research and a reflective presentation, I recognized the effectiveness of nonverbal cues for behavior management in the classroom. I have practiced the nonverbal cues featured in the chart below in various circumstances that occur in my internship experience. I believe it is important to practice nonverbal cues and responsive body language to support desirable behavior in the classroom, as well as to address inappropriate behavior.A quick smile, thumbs up or intentionally-directed nod are simple ways to support students' behaviors or academic effort. When I observe my students working together effectively, modeling on-task behavior or making an important insight, I reinforce their effort with a big smile or a high-five. When I get excited about my students' behavior or learning, the children feel proud of themselves. In my opinion, that is why I am in the classroom: to help children develop into confident, capable and insightful adults.
At one of the back tables, five students of mixed abilities collaborate for activities in Language Arts or Social Studies. These learners are talkative and easily distracted from content area learning. When my CT and I are co-teaching, I rotate the room to make sure students are on task and engaged (proximity). If I notice one of the bubbly girls in class talking during instruction, a simple frown or shake of my head will redirect her behavior. Occasionally, students will be encompassed by an object irrelevant to the lesson. This could be anything from a poster on the wall, a book, a funky pen, or even Pokemon cards (honestly, I'm jealous of some of my student's extensive collections). By moving the object from a distracted student's field of vision, or raising my eyebrows while glancing at the unnecessary object, students are given a nonverbal cue to change their behavior. Nonverbal cues are powerful and I believe that they preserve a student's dignity and self-esteem by avoiding embarrassment or singling-out a student.
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