The Application of Body Language to English Teaching in Primary School

Luo Lingyu

【Abstract】English as an increasingly widely-used language is critically important in English teaching.But it is not easy for pupils to learn it well for various factors.In that case，body language can benefit both teachers and students.The thesis will clarify the application of it like eye contact，facial expressions and gestures in English teaching of primary school，which can arouse students learning interests，create a good study atmosphere，help teachers express themselves and understand students better，enhance the efficiency of English teaching and optimize the course design.

【Key words】body language； pupils； English teaching in primary school

1.Introduction

There have been lots of researches on body language at home and abroad mostly from the perspective of psychology and pedagogy.But few papers devoted attention to the English teaching in primary school.In recent years，the American curriculum standard has emphasized the body language for improving the quality of education.China also begins to focus on the application of it in the education field and many scholars begin doing some researches on it.Some researches briefly mentioned the importance of body language in middle or high school and others only paid attention to the part of it such as gestures.The thesis will clarify the application of it in English teaching of primary school through eye-contacts，facial expression and gestures.

2.Body Language

What is Body Language？ It is known as non-verbal social intercourse which transmits information through gestures and facial expressions instead of sounds，verbal language or other communication.Body language also calls kinesics，a kind of paralanguage，including the most subtle movements like winking.They are also delivering the information by the way one sits，stands，moves，etc，which makes a set of system equal to the verbal language and is significant to communication.

3.The Application of Body Language to English Teaching in Primary School

（1）Eye contact：loving eyes often show children support and trust and make the teachers class more impressive，which is deeply engraved on the students mind.The best teacher can exchange their own ideas or thoughts with the students and capture their hearts by changing frequency of blink that expresses ones feeling and attitude change.Equality and objectivity in class can make each student realize the teachers close attention and be active.

（2）Facial Expressions：countenance is the whole showing screen of peoples mind.All the happiness and sorrow of a person reflected on the face which plays a key role in expressing ones ideas，emotions and attitudes.Students are always expected to attend a class of a teacher with kaleidoscopic and vivid facial expressions that helps establish a positive emotional relationship between teachers and students.It is a powerful conveyor of meaning.If teachers countenance naturally vary to be consistent with their messages，they can get twofold results with half the effort.

（3）Gestures：The educationists believe that gestures is a kind of informative system and also raises an essential function in English teaching.The gestures we make，and even the proximity we sit，are some of the ways we send powerful message about how we feel or what we think.In English teaching，the proper，elegant and composed manners of a teacher can not only catch students attention，but help facilitate communication in the class.

4.Conclusion

Body language can influence students with the teachers statements and behaviors，outlooks of life and world.It communicates as effectively as words，even more effectively.An excellent English teacher should make full use of it and combine it with the verbal language to optimize the teaching efficiency.

Reference：

[1]Allan Pease & Barbara Pease.The Definitive Book of Body Language[M].New York：Random House Publishing Group，2008.

[2]Desmond Morris.Gesture Their Origins and Distribution[M].London：Jonathan Cape，2008.

[3]Jeremy Harmer.How to Teach English[M].Beijing：Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press，2000.

[4]Joan Rubin.What the‘Good Language LearnerCan Teach Us[J].TESOL Quarterly，1975，（9）：41-51.

作者簡介：

羅玲玉，女，湖南邵陽人，現為湖南工業大學外國語學院在讀碩士，研究方向：外國語言學及應用語言學。