Vol. 4 Issue 31 – Research Article: ‘Silence Also Speaks: Nonverbal Communication in the Classroom’ by Dr. Shubha R. Mishra

Communication is one of the most important concepts of the 21st century. In a teaching learning situation, communication and all its related assumptions have drastically changed over the period of last two centuries. In the traditional classroom, teaching was through lecture method and the use of the chalk and the board. With the explosion of technology, the whole scenario has changed. The traditional teacher, who was respected only next to God, and was regarded as the final word, has now changed roles to a facilitator, who communicates his thoughts, ideas and knowledge, through many different ways. Those teachers, who use uses nonverbal communication and its multiple facets like expressions and body language, to make the teaching more interactive and interesting, are more popular, and are regarded more humane and accessible. In this changed scenario, nonverbal communication has gained a new dimension and importance in classroom teaching. Therefore the teacher’s awareness to the multiple ways of non verbal communication, its effects and significance has become crucial in the whole process of teaching and learning.