Following Directions: One Nonverbal at a Time
2 MIN READ
In this five-part series focused on the Whole Child, we are illuminating student struggles and providing practical, easy-to-implement strategies for your school and classroom.
The previous blog highlighted the 4 x 4, or Warm Welcomes strategy, which school staff can use to promote a sense of belonging and acceptance for students. Here is another low touch (light effort to plan and implement) super strategy you can implement in the classroom tomorrow.
Nonverbals, along with our words and the tone we use when we speak, are integral to our communication. It only takes a few moments to see nonverbals in action in our schools. When students arrive in the morning, are they smiling and making eye contact or heads down and shuffling along the hallway? If you have implemented Warm Greetings, the nonverbals may be noticeably different.
Turning to the classroom, you can learn more about nonverbals at: Nonverbal signals: An evidence-based behavior strategy
With repeated exposure, teachers and students become better at reading nonverbal cues, however students’ cultural differences or individual perceptions may eliminate this benefit.
But when students miss teachers’ cues, what happens then?
There is a way to employ nonverbals to keep a classroom in learning mode. When we explain and demonstrate how we plan on using nonverbals in the classroom, it supports students and helps them keep their learning on track with predictability and consistency. For teachers, nonverbals can reduce unwanted frustration and power struggles. Let’s get to the brass tacks of implementation. Take a few minutes to plan what common nonverbals you might use to address following directions. In the classroom, explain how, when, and why you will use nonverbals. It might look like this:
“I am going to give you a chance to follow directions.” If you are having trouble following directions, I will:
Stand close to you.
Give you “the look.” An optimistic look with my eyebrows raised.
Lightly shake my head.
Keep teaching because I know you can do it on your own.
When was the last time you used a nonverbal with a successful outcome? With practice, these become automatic and routine. They also direct students’ thinking to, “How do I manage myself right now?” Do what works for you and feels most comfortable and before you know it your students will be pros at the nonverbals too!
If you like what you are reading and are interested in more simple-to-implement, high impact strategies, check out our Whole Educator Series at https://learn.effectiveness.org. Please share widely. We’ll be highlighting another low-impact, high-yield SEL strategy in our next blog in this series.
Erich Bolz erich@effectiveness.org, VP for Research and District Engagement with CEE, has worked in all levels of education for the past 30 years.
Dr. Greg Benner, Helen and Pat O’Sullivan Professor of Special Education, Implementation Science, University of Alabama
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