Comment: It is interesting that James Paul Gee would include clothing, gestures, and bodily movements as part of our language-in-use. Often times I forget that these items are a form of communication independently. These factors (clothing, gestures, and body movements) give others insight into who we are and what we value. It is important as teachers to identify what students are saying when they aren’t opening their mouths. If we are vigilant in this matter we will be able to discover the most-effective ways to help each student. Not all students will be able to speak English fluently in the classroom, but it is important to remember there are numerous ways for communication to occur—which gives me hope that I will be able to use other resources in order to communicate effectively.
How can we as educators determine how to read a child based on his/her bodily movements? How do we react to a student whose bodily movements indicate that they do not want to learn in our classroom?
That is definitely such an interesting concept! I'd never thought much about it either, but it is true that body language communicates just as much as spoken words, if not more. As far as reading student body language, I tutored first grade students struggling with reading while I was home in April, May and June. I noticed that the students who felt confident in their abilities looked me in the eye when I talked to them, sat up in their chairs, followed along with their fingers and talked animatedly. The students that felt insecure, or that didn't want to be in class slumped back in their chairs, wouldn't meet my eyes, and didn't engage in the activities as enthusiastically. I think it's important to give these students a chance to love learning by not putting too much pressure on them at the beginning. Try and find out what interests them, and use that to find books and writing projects that will help them feel successful and appreciated in the classroom.
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