Engaging students using verbal and non-verbal strategies!The content in this booklet constitutes a week-long assignment that you will

undertake independently, before submitting the completed task through Turnitin by the due date.

PLEASE NOTE - You have a choice in this assignment of two separate tasks - you only need to complete ONE. Some of the content in this booklet relates to only one task or the other. If this is the case it will be stated at the beginning of

the relevant pages.Prework for Assignment 2DefinitionsTo successfully complete this assignment you will need to have a good understanding of some of the terms that will be used frequently throughout this task.

Verbal strategies are those involving the spoken word. Non-verbal strategies include gestures, body language, tone and pitch, and the

placement of the physical body.

READ: Roviello (2004) , and while you are consider the following things:

1. Why, as teachers, is it important to understand the function of verbal and non-verbal behaviours?

2. What is understood by the following terms?

Eye contact Posture Facial expression Distance Touch Vocal intonation Gesture

Physical appearance has also been reported as significant when considering non-verbal behaviours and/or strategies ( White & Gardner, 2012 ).

What the literature saysThere have been a number of studies into the impact of verbal and non-verbal

behaviour on student achievement.Here are some of them that you will need to read for this assignment.

Roviello (2004)  , which you have just read, shows that communication can be a very powerful tool and can enhance comprehension. This study study showed that particular students got the most benefit from emblem gestures over other non-verbal communication.

Zeki (2009)   also provided evidence that nonverbal communication is an important student motivator and helps concentration in learning. It is also a valuable tool for taking and maintaining attention.

Chaudhry and Arif (2012)  report that for teachers where their verbal behaviour is consistent with their nonverbal behaviour (so teachers who are positive display positive non-verbal behaviours), encourage student participation and involvement. A strong association was found between positive non-verbal behaviour and academic achievement in students.

The relationship between verbal and non-verbal behaviour was again researched in 2015 by Sidelinger and Bolen , who examined the ‘compulsive communicator’, a cute label they gave to the talkaholic teacher who they also described as ‘misbehaving’.  They found that teachers scoring high on levels of non-verbal immediacy (non-verbal behaviour that predicts instant teacher effectiveness, for example, smiling) tempers negative student behaviours.

Some old cliches...I am sure that you have heard some of the common cliques, probably quite

often in fact:A picture is worth a thousand words

Actions speak louder than wordsNon-verbal communication is 13 times more powerful than verbal

communicationOr perhaps you have seen this model before:

The idea that one form of communication, that is non-verbal communication, sits separately from verbal communication, is something that is now being challenged.

In his recent book, Beattie (2016) challenges the notion that verbal and non-verbal communication can be considered as separate forms of communication.

If you are interested, READ: Rethinking Body Language (Chapter 2 - Two Separate languages?) to get an idea about Beattie's arguments. This is not required

to complete the task but is here for your information.  Verbal + non-verbal = the whole story

It's not all about teachers!Students can communicate how they are feeling about what's happening in the classroom through their own verbal and non-verbal modes of communication.How would we know if our students were:

BORED or ENGAGED? OFF-TASK or ENGROSSED? HAD ENOUGH or KEEN TO KEEP GOING? CONFUSED or UNDERSTANDING? NERVOUS or CONFIDENT?

READ: Taylor (2016) who conducted a study looking at student body language through examining eye gaze, posture and gesture when students were work together. 

Let's hope this is not something you experience in your classroom!Understanding verbal and non-verbal behaviours will help us to better 'read' our students, and reflect upon the appropriateness and success (or not) of

what we are delivering in our classrooms.Applying this all to teaching - FOR TASK 2READ: White and Gardner (2012) , just Chapter 1 (General Introduction).Make some additional notes to those already made, about each of the non-verbal teaching applications:

Eye contact, Posture, Facial expression, Distance (speaker to listener) Touch Vocal intonation Gesture Physical appearance

 Hopefully you are beginning to see the importance of both verbal and non-verbal communication in the classroom.Influence and non-verbal behaviourThe way you use certain aspects of non-verbal behaviour can influence how others will respond to you.Negative influence

Folded arms and cocking of head is considered a threatening posture. Sarcasm is often described as toxic humour and can cause 'severe emotional

harm' ( Suski, 2014, p.125 ).

Positive influence The role of mimicry and mirroring: Van Swol and Drury-Grogan (2017 ) , along

with T aylor (2016) , discuss the positive social benefits of mimicry. They state that people are likely to mimic another if they share the same opinions, and have rapport, and a liking for the other. If you are observant, you may see a wonderful example of this in the videos you are going to watch!

ommunication and cultureGiven the diversity of cultures within Australia schools and classrooms, it is worth

just taking a quick look at something that is actually quite complex:CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION

ommunication, particularly non-verbal communication, can have different meanings across different cultures, and we need to be cognisant of that in our

classrooms.Something to READ:

Shi and Fan (2010)   examined the role of nonverbal communication in intercultural communication and report that inappropriate nonverbal behaviour can cause inadvertent breakdowns in relationships.

Liando (2010, p.131)   also discuss (in the paragraph, Teacher Immediacy Behaviors) how teacher immediacy originates from a Western context and there is disparity in communication styles.

      Note: This article has a measure of Nonverbal immediacy behaviors which you may need to use in the assessment itself.Child and adolescent development - FOR TASK 1The developmental stage of a child or adolescent will affect the way they understand verbal and non-verbal communication.READ: Neill (1991) - Chapter 2Although old now, Andersen, Andersen and Mayton (1985) discuss teacher perceptions of developmental changes in student use of nonverbal behaviour (K-12). If you are interested, have a quick look.There are many theoretical approaches but we will look at four of the major theories of development:

the psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Erikson the cognitive-developmental approaches of Piaget and Vygotsky learning theories, both classical (Watson) and social-cognitive (Bandura).

You can delve into these further by reading A basic introduction to child developmental theories   by NSW Department of Education and Training (2006), or you can watch the videos below. If you're really keen you can do both! Erickson & Freud

  Piaget

Watson

Vygotsky

 Bandura

Developmental milestones - FOR TASK 1Those of you who are parents, or have family or friends with young children, will have heard the term 'developmental milestones' bandied about.Developmental milestones fall into four areas:

physical cognitive social emotional

The Raising Children network has some good information about the expected development children and adolescents. Click on the following age group to access information specifically about them. Please note, you will need to access the 5-6 year old stuff for the first part of this assignment.

5-6 year olds 6-8 year olds pre-teens teenagers

We identified four major theorists on the previous page. Each of them, as you will know now, operates across a different conceptual framework. So, how does the work of these theorists align with the developmental milestones that we use to establish whether or not a child is progressing at an average rate?READ: Gallahue, Ozmun, and Goodway (2012) , Chapter 2 (Models of Human Development), to find out!Unless the smile you are showing is fake! Click here to see some information about the research behind the measurement of true and fake smiles :)

McNeill   (2012)   says human language is not the same thing as human speech, and we use gestures and signs to communicate alongside, and sometimes instead of,

speaking. He also states that gestures influence how a message is received. Mismatches, for example between the gesture and the verbal message, is less likely to be believed... “gestures triumph speech” (p.13). This is how to detect if someone

is also lying.Click on picture for short video about politicians insincerity through their body

language. Remember the idea that the unconscious can betray our verbal messages.

Reference listPlease note - this list does not consistently use APA formatting! Make sure it is in APA formatting for your assignment.Andersen, P., Andersen, J., & Mayton, S. (1985). The development of nonverbal communication in the classroom: Teachers’ perceptions of students in grades K-12. Western Journal of Speech Communication, 49(3), 188-203.

Beattie, G. (2016). Rethinking body language. Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.Choudhry, N. A., & Arif, M. (2012). Teachers’ nonverbal behavior and its impact on student achievement. International Education Studies, 5(4), 56-64.CNN. (2012). Politicians’ body language analyzed – CNN Weekend shows. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_ErQVcBkNYGallahue, D. L. & Ozmun, J. C., & Goodway, J. D. (2012). Understanding motor development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.Hurst, M. (2018). Albert Bandura social cognitive theory and vicarious learning. Retrieved from Study.com website: https://study.com/academy/subj/psychology.htmlHurst, M. (2018). Lev Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development. Retrieved from Study.com website: https://study.com/academy/subj/psychology.htmlHurst, M. (2018). Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Retrieved from Study.com website: https://study.com/academy/subj/psychology.htmlLiando, N. V. F. (2010). Students’ vs. teachers’ perspectives on best teacher characteristics in EFL classrooms. TEFLIN Journal, 21(2), 118-136.McNeill, D. (2012). How language began. New York, NY: Cambridge University PressNeill, S. (1991).  Classroom nonverbal communication. New York, NY: Routland Revivals.NSW Department of Education and Training (2006). A basic introduction to child development theories. Sydney, Australia: Author.Peterson, P. (2018). Psychologist John Watson and the Little Albert experiment. Retrieved from Study.com website: https://study.com/academy/subj/psychology.htmlRichmond, V. P., McCroskey, J. C., & Johnson, A. D.  (2003). Development of the nonverbal immediacy scale (NIS): Measures of self-and other-perceived nonverbal immediacy. Communication Quarterly, 51(4),  504-517.Round, L. (2018). Differences between Freud and Eriksons approaches to psychoanalytic theory: Differences and analysis. Retrieved from Study.com website: https://study.com/academy/subj/psychology.htmlRoviello, C. (2004). Gesture: nonverbal communication between teachers and students. (master’s thesis). Rowan University. Glassboro, NJ.Shi, Y. & Fan, S. (2010). An analysis of non-verbal behaviour in intercultural communication. Language, Society and Culture, 31,(1), 113-120.Sidelinger, R. J., & Bolen, D. M. (2015). Compulsive communication in the classroom: Is the talkaholic teacher a misbehaving instructor? Western Journal of Communication, 79(2), 174-196.Solon, O. (2012). MIT’s algorithm can spot a fake smile better than a human can. Retrieved from Wired.co.uk website: http://www.wired.co.uk/article/mit-fake-smile-detectionSuski, E. F. (2014). Dark sarcasm in the classroom: The failure of the courts to recognize students’ sever emotional harm as unconstitutional. Cleveland State Law Review, 62(125), 125-161.Taylor, R. (2016). The multimodal texture of engagement: Prosodic language, gaze and posture in engaged, creative classroom interaction. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 20(1), 83-96.

Van Swol, L. M., & Drury-Grogan, M. L. (2017). The effects of shared opinions on nonverbal mimicry. SAGE Open, 7(2), 1-11.Victoria State Government Education and Training (2013). Communicating across cultures. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/careers/Pages/communication.aspxWhite, J., & Gardner, J. (2013). The classroom X-factor: The power of body language and non-verbal communication in teaching. New York, NY: Routledge.Zeki, C. P. (2009). The importance of non-verbal communication in classroom management. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1(1), 1443-1449.Reflective Observational AnalysisWord length: 1000 (+ or - 10%) words Learning Outcomes: 1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn, including knowledge of child and adolescent development, and the implications for teaching by observing recordings of teacher practice, gathering data, analysing, evaluating findings informed by current research literature, and synthesising knowledge of effective teacher practice 3. demonstrate understanding of a range of teaching strategies including verbal and non-verbal communication to support student engagement by observing teacher practice, and critiquing in terms of current research literature.Components of Assignment

A title page with your name, student number, word count and the task you have selected to complete clearly indicated.

You may choose to go beyond the unit materials also, to support your discussion. APA 6th Edition referencing for both in-text (included in the word count) and the

reference list is required (not considered part of the word count).

This assignment is based around a kindergarten literacy lesson

TASK (1000 words)

1. Refer and complete the Non-verbal Immediacy Scale   below. Make sure you have looked it over and are comfortable with how it needs to be completed (see the Richmond, McCroskey & Johnson (2003) article for this information).

2. Look at the checklist of developmental stages for a 5-6 year old https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/development/development-tracker/5-6-years

3. Watch the video from 1-5 provided. Make sure you watch in sequence from 1-5.

4. Complete the report (don't forget to score it at the end) and make notes in the 'observation notes' column. This part of the task is not counted in the word limit, however does need to be submitted as an appendix.

5. Summarise your results according to the strengths and weaknesses of the teacher's non-verbal behaviour found in the data from the scale. (300 words)

6. Discuss whether or not the teacher is using an appropriate level of communication, according to the work of the developmental theorists. (600 words)

7. Discuss: What resonates with you? Give examples. We all have different styles and different developmental stages of students to address. What skills of communication are you going to develop? As a secondary teacher, what have you learned relating to verbal and non-verbal strategies shown in the video lesson that can be applied in your classroom? (100 words)

8. Reference list should be in APA style. Include at least 5 sources from the list provided for the unit.