Non-verbal How this could look in the classroom
Technique
Making students Non-verbal communication is learned behaviour (Lyons,
aware of your Ford & Slee, 2013). Most students in secondary schooling
actions will be able to pick up on this form of communication,
however, some students may not be able to. For example,
students who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can
struggle to pick up on non-verbal communication (National
Autistic Society, 2017). Therefore, it is important to modify
your practice to suit the needs of all students in the
classroom.
Gestures ● Hand gestures while talking can show passion about
the content and engage students more than just
verbally.
● Using simple hand gestures can reduce the need for
escalation of behavior management strategies.
Examples include:
○ signaling for student's to be quiet placing your
fingers on your lips
○ Using your hand to indicate you want students to
close laptop lids
○ Thumbs up to use as a quick form of praise for
students when doing the right thing
○ When teaching, it is good to use hand gestures
to make instructions or the topic you are talking
about even clearer (e.g. point to where you want
them to look on the board, etc.)
Posture ● Posture can very quickly tell students how you are
feeling so be aware of how you are presenting yourself
when teaching. For example:
○ Slouching at the front of the class may indicate a
disinterest in teaching the students.
○ Leaning against the wall may show that you are
comfortable and approachable
Eye-contact ● Explanatory on how it looks in practice.
● Intentional use when using wait time by making eye
contact with students who aren’t listening - this
increases its effectiveness.
● Using eye contact shows respect for students and can
help in building those relationships
● Note: it is important to be aware that in Western
cultures, eye contact usually indicates a level of
respect and attentiveness. However, many Indigenous
students tend to avoid eye contact due to cultural
reasons (Ryans, Ford & Slee, 2013).
Proximity Proximity is all about where you stand in the classsroom
space with respect to the students. This is a very effective
strategy (from my experience), however, usually a clicker is
needed if PowerPoint is being used.
● Using a clicker when presenting a PowerPoint and
moving around the classroom.
● Positioning yourself close to a student when talking to
the class can reduce the need for interrupting the
lesson as they often stop what they were doing if you
Reflection questions
● How do students respond to my use of non-
verbal communication?
○ Do they appear to respond?
○ Are they unresponsive?
○ Is it effective?
● Do I have students with specific needs in my
class?
○ If yes, how do these affect how you
communicate with the students (if at
all)?
○ What could you do to better
communicate with these students?
● Do I use my hands when I am teaching?
● What kind of actions do I use?
● When do I use them?
● Do I do these things consciously?
● What could I do to improve the effectiveness of
my use of these strategies?
● How do you stand in front of the class?
● What impression do you think students get from
you?
● What could you do to show your class that you
are interested in and engaged through your
posture?
● Do I use eye contact when addressing students
while using other behaviour management
strategies?
● When could you use eye contact more
intentionally?
● Do I need to investigate further whether there
are students who may find eye contact difficult
due to their background?
○ If yes, What other strategies could I use
instead?
● Where do I stand when I am teaching?
○ How does my position teaching affect the
lesson?
● What kind of off-task behaviours do I see in my
classroom?
○ What kind of proximity strategies could I
use to reduce these behaviours and
interruptions in the lesson?
 are nearby.
● Moving around the classroom can keep things exciting
for the students, but also allows you to have a different
perspective of the classroom.

Wait Time ● When students aren’t listening instead of shouting
above them or wasting your voice simply stand at the
front and be silent. Students will start to notice that you
are waiting for them and begin to make each other be
quiet.
● Note: After frequent use of the strategy, the student
recognises this much quicker and it becomes easier as
a teacher to use.
● When you teach are all students listening?
○ Quite often as early career teachers, we
teach to about 80% as we can be scared
of just standing and waiting. It is important
to reflect on this.
● Do you use wait time in your teaching?
● If yes - is it intentional?
● If no - give it a go!

Lights Sometimes getting the attention of a new class can be very ● What other physical strategies could I use to
difficult (especially if you are new to the school or a relief gain the attention of a rowdy class?
teacher). By simply switching the lights on and off the
attention of the class can be gained without raising your
voice.
References:

Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Slee, J. (2013). Classroom Management: Creating Positive Learning Environment
(4th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Cengage Learning Australia.

National Autistic Society. (2017). Communicating. Retrieved from:

https://www.autism.org.uk/about/communication/communicating.aspx