A Study Of Nonverbal Communication In Senior High School English Teaching

Human communication can be divided into two types, verbal communication (short for VC) and nonverbal communication (short for NVC). For a long time, verbal communication is emphasized, but people often overlook the importance of nonverbal communication. Miller (1981:4-6) suggests,"Only7%of a message is sent through words with the remaining93%sent through facial expressions (55%) and vocal intonation (32%)" English classroom teaching is a kind of communication between teachers and students both verbal and nonverbal. Nonverbal communication can not be neglected in English classroom teaching. Nonverbal communication has a profound effect on English classroom learning in the aspects of body language, object language, environment language and paralanguage. Teachers’positive nonverbal behaviors can create a relaxing and harmonious atmosphere where students’involvement and interest in the subject can be stimulated. What’s more, it can keep the classroom in order and shorten the mental distance between teachers and students, which surely results in the enhancement of the teaching efficiency.The research on nonverbal communication has developed rapidly over the last few decades. Many sociologists, psychologists and linguists have made many researches in this field on its definitions, classifications, characteristics and functions. As for the classification, different scholars hold different views. The paper intends to study the application of nonverbal communication to senior high schools’English classroom learning. In view of the aims of the study, the nonverbal communication will be divided into seven parts:(1) Facial expression,(2) Eye contact,(3) Gesture, posture and touch,(4) Physical attractiveness,(5) Proxemics,(6) Paralanguage,(7) Environment language. The study aims to make the English teachers and students realize the fact that nonverbal communication takes a great part in English teaching and that both teachers and students have to be equipped with sufficient knowledge of nonverbal communication so as to improve the teaching and learning efficiency.The thesis bases on a case study in Yongji No.3Middle School, Shanxi Province. Three approaches are involved in this paper:classroom observation, interview and questionnaire. The author does a classroom observation for three weeks in four classes. Follow-up interviews are then conducted with the students and the teachers.200 students and30English teachers complete the questionnaires. Besides, the author of the paper takes an excellent English lesson as an example to show how an excellent English teacher applies positive nonverbal behaviors to her English classroom teaching. Findings of the study reveal that the class with much nonverbal interaction is more active than that with little nonverbal interaction. However, many English teachers in this school still neglect the application of the nonverbal communication in English classroom teaching.At last, the author puts forward the limitations of the study. Practical suggestions about the application of nonverbal communication in English teaching and learning are also presented for future researchers.