Body Language is always a good topic for class. There are so many ways to use this for class. Before you begin this class think of some kind of gestures that you can pull off in front of the class convincingly. Here’s one idea to begin. Without giving any introduction about the subject of the lesson, get the class’s attention and then roll your eyes at them and sigh, crossing your arms across your chest.
After they begin to squirm in their seats ask them how your body language made them feel. (Did it surprise them and make them think they’d done something to irritate you? Did it make them feel uneasy? Did they feel worried?) Let them know that we don’t always speak to communicate. We often use our bodies to convey other meanings. But are they always the same meaning?
Break them into small groups or pairs and then see if they can figure out what the following mean.
Confusing Body Gestures
We often use some gestures but they can have many different meanings. Sometimes depending on the country a meaningless gesture in your home country has a downright rude meaning in another. Sometimes the same gesture depending on the situation or direction of movement can have two or more meanings just in one country. Below are some gestures that may have more than one meaning in America. See if you can guess what they are.
1. Waving
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
2. Circling finger at temple
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
3. Emphatic fist in the air with locked elbow
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
4. Shrugging shoulders
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
5. Shaking head /Nodding head
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
6. Making an OK sign with thumb and forefinger
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
7. Raising an eyebrow
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
8. Averting eyes when speaking or spoken to
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
9. Smiling
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
10. Crossing fingers
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
11. Pointing to something or someone with a forefinger
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
12. Folding arms across the chest
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
13. Winking
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
14. Kissing
Possible meanings:_____________________________________________
Here Are Some Possible Answers
- Waving (hello, goodbye, in dismissal, or to get attention)
- Cuckoo sign (circling finger at the temple)
- Emphatic fist in the air with a locked elbow
- Shrugging shoulders (“I don’t know,” or “I don’t care.”)
- Shaking head “no” Nodding head “yes”
- Making an OK sign with thumb and forefinger
- Raising an eyebrow
- Averting eyes when speaking or spoken to
- Smiling (warmly or sarcastically)
- Crossing fingers (for luck or to indicate an untruth)
- Pointing to something with a forefinger (to indicate or accuse)
- Folding arms across the chest (indicating cold or indignation)
- Winking (to be flirtatious or to indicate a private joke)
- Social (as opposed to romantic) kissing
Discussion Questions
These are some other ideas I had after posting the above class.
- If you have a class of mixed nationalities, you can have students share some unique body language from their own country.
- A funny story happened to one teacher I worked with. He was teaching a group of children and he did the “I’ve got your nose” motion with some of his students. Needless to say, that is like the middle finger in Korea and some parents who were observing the class were quite shocked. Do you have any interesting stories of misunderstandings because of body language?
- Are there any types of body language that you think have the same meaning globally?
Encourage Them to Come Up with Their Own Gestures
You can add a few extra lines at the end of your paper to allow students to have some space to write their own body gestures. After students have had time to go over the body language above you can go over the meanings together as a class.
Try to have them think of the many meanings one gesture might have. Sometimes meanings change depending on the situation as well. This can be a good chance to either introduce or reinforce emotions and feelings with students. For a fun class addition, check out the following video on head nodding in India.
That Was Hilarious
I love that last video! I hope you have as much fun in your class as these guys did making that video. Until next time always remember, Teaching English is Fun.