an action research on using body language in teaching english to 5-year-old children at sao mai kindergarten = nghiên cứu hành động về dạy tiếng anh cho trẻ 5 tuổi qua ngôn ngữ cử chỉ tại trường mầm non sao mai

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES
****************

ĐỖ THU HƯƠNG

AN ACTION RESEARCH ON USING BODY LANGUAGE IN
TEACHING ENGLISH TO 5 - YEAR - OLD CHILDREN AT SAO MAI
KINDERGARTEN
NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ DẠY TIẾNG ANH CHO TRẺ 5 TUỔI
QUA NGÔN NGỮ CỬ CHỈ TẠI TRƯỜNG MẦM NON SAO MAI

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60140111



HANOI - 2014
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES
****************

ĐỖ THU HƯƠNG

AN ACTION RESEARCH ON USING BODY LANGUAGE IN
TEACHING ENGLISH TO 5 - YEAR - OLD CHILDREN AT SAO MAI
KINDERGARTEN

NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG VỀ DẠY TIẾNG ANH CHO TRẺ 5 TUỔI
QUA NGÔN NGỮ CỬ CHỈ TẠI TRƯỜNG MẦM NON SAO MAI

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60140111
Supervisor: TÔ THỊ THU HƯƠNG, Ph.D



HANOI - 2014
i

DECLARATION

I hereby state that I, Đỗ Thu Hương, being a candidate for the Degree of
Master of Arts, accept the requirement of the University relating to the
retention and use of M.A. Thesis deposited in the library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited
in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in
accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the
care, loan or reproduction of the paper.


July 20
th
, 2014

Đỗ Thu Hương

ii

ABSTRACT
The present research aims to discover the attitudes of five years old
children towards the use of body language in their English lessons and the
subsequent changes in their speaking and listening competences after being
taught English with body language. To achieve the objective of the study, the
students were observed in traditional English language lessons where the
teacher used teacher-centered methods with less body language and in
innovative lessons where teacher taught with more body language.
The obtained results showed the children‟s positive attitude which could assist
them in learning English faster and more effectively. Additionally, the
students‟ speaking and listening competences appeared to be improved
evidently with teachers using more body language in teaching English.
Furthermore, the study provided implications for teaching English through
body language to children, especially to five year old ones at Sao Mai
Kindergarten.
With the main findings mentioned above, the researcher believes that this
study provides EFL teachers with relevant knowledge in designing and
implementation activities with body language for children in English classes.

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The study could not have been fulfilled without the help, encouragement,
and support of a number of people.
First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my
supervisor, Dr. Tô Thị Thu Hương, for her valuable advice, constructive
comments, patient support and encouragement in the completion of this M.A.
Thesis.
Secondly, I would like to send my sincere thanks to my informants in this
study, whom I selected as the target subjects of this research. Without their
enthusiastic contribution and cooperation, this research would certainly not
have been completed.
In the thesis, it is inevitable that the ideas of many other writers in this
field are reflected and developed. Their ideas have stimulated my thinking on
doing this paper. My debt to the authors listed in the references is equally
great. To all these scholars, I offer my sincere thanks.
Finally, I am greatly thankful to my family and friends, who are forever a
great source of support and encouragement.






iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

%
ELT
EFL
Ss
T
Percent
English Language Teaching
English as Foreign Language
Students
Teacher

LIST OF CHARTS AND TABLES
Table 1: Evaluating the students‟ English speaking competence
Table 2: Evaluating the students‟ English listening competence
Table 3: Evaluating the students‟ English speaking competence
Table 4: Evaluating the students‟ English listening competence
Table 5: Involvement and attention in the activities
Table 6: Students‟ attitude toward ELT
Table 7: Idea and feeling expression
Table 8: Vocabulary understanding
22
23
31
32
34
34
35
36

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration………………………………………………………………….…i
Abstract ii
Acknowledgements iii
List of abbreviations and symbols iv
List of charts and tables iv
Table of contents v
PART A: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale of the research 1
2. Aims of the research……………………………………………… 2
3 Scope of the research……………………………………………… 2
4 Research questions………………………………………………… 2
5. Methodology……………………………………………………… 2
5.1. Action research design…………………………………………… 2
5.2. Participants……………………………………………………… 4
5.3. Procedures………………………………………………………… 4
PART B: DEVELPOMENT………………… 6
CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
1.1. Teaching English to children………………………………………… 6
1.1.1. Typical characteristics of children…………………………………. 6
1.1.2. The teaching of English to children……………………………… 8
1.2. Using body language in teaching English to children………………. 10
1.2.1. Body language…………………………………………………… 10
vi

1.2.1.1. Definition………………………………………………………… 10

1.2.1.2. Classification of body language…………………………………. 11
1.2.2. Advantages of using body language in teaching English to children 13
1.2.2.1. Vocabulary improvement……………………………………… 13
1.2.2.2. Speaking improvement………………………………………… 14
1.2.2.3. Daily language understanding…………………………………… 15
1.2.3 Some kinds of body language used in English teaching class……… 16
1.2.3.1. The use of gestures………………………………………………. 16
1.2.3.2. The use of facial expression……………………………………… 16
1.2.3.3. The use of eye contact…………………………………………… 17
CHAPTER II: THE STUDY – USING BODY LANGUAGE IN TEACHING
ENGLISH TO CHILDREN……………………………. 19
2.1. Research questions and design………………………………………. 19
2.2. Planning stage……………………………………………………… 19
2.2.1. The problem………………………………………………………. 19
2.2.2. Observing a lesson that illustrated the problem……………………. 19
2.2.3. Analyzing the video-taped sessions……………………………… 25
2.2.4. Consulting with colleagues………………………………………… 25
2.2.5. Drawing a plan of action to solve the problem……………………. 27
2.3. Acting stage………………………………………………………… 27
2.3.1. Speaking lesson using body language…………………………… 27
2.3.2. Listening lesson using body language…………………………… 29
2.4. Observing stage………………………………………………………. 31
vii

2.5. Evaluation stage…………………………………………………… 31
2.5.1. Student evaluation…………………………………………………. 31
2.5.2. Teachers‟ evaluation……………………………………………… 33
PART C: CONCLUSION……………………………………… 37
1. Conclusions………………………………………. 37
2. Limitations………… 38

3. Implications and suggestions for teaching English through body
language…………………… 39
REFERENCES 41
APPENDICES I
1

PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the research
The professor of linguistics and English as a Second Language, Andrew
Cohen (1975: 65), once said: “Learning another language frees you,
broadens your mind and enhances your cognitive flexibility. The more
languages you know, the more doors open to you”. Knowing more languages
seems to create you more good chances in your life. Additionally, English is
becoming a global language today. Therefore, learning English is becoming a
popular trend, especially in Vietnam. English is so important that it has been
taught in many schools and universities of all levels and Vietnamese children
are approached English at very early age. So many Vietnamese parents want
their children to learn English as early as possible and to have a head start in
their children‟s lives. To meet these parents‟ need, the teaching English for
kids in kindergarten has emerged. British Council and Apollo are popular
English centers considered as models taking the lead in this field. However,
there is a fact that many English teachers are not trained comprehensively to
teach English to such special learners with special characteristics, children in
kindergarten. Almost the students in these kindy classes are only four or five
years old, which creates a huge difficulty for the teaching in general and
English teaching in particular. Furthermore, teaching methods and techniques
to those so young learners is still a big gap. Hence, the study reported in this
thesis, on using body language in teaching English to five year old children,
especially to improve their English speaking and listening skills, was carried
out as an effort in filling the quality gap mentioned above by finding out

suitable and effective techniques to make contribution to teaching English for
kids.
2

2. Aims of the research
- Identifying the attitudes of the students towards the use of body language in
their English lessons.
- Exploring how the uses of body language in teaching English can enhance
their speaking and listening skills.
3. Scope of the research
Due to the limitation of time and knowledge, this thesis only focused
on using body language in teaching English to five year old students at Sao
Mai Kindergarten in the second term of the school-year of 2013-2014.
4. Research questions
- What are Sao Mai students‟ attitudes towards the use of body language in
their English lessons?
- How can the use of body language in teaching English enhance Sao Mai five
year old students‟ speaking and listening skills?
5. Methodology
The methodological approach was action research using mixed
methods for data collection. The tools for data gathering include one
questionnaire for teachers, two tests (pre-test and post-test) for students,
video recordings, and class observation.
5.1. Action research design
Following the common approach, the action research consisted of four
main stages: Planning, Acting, Observing and Evaluation.
Stage 1: Planning
3

- The author found out problem and its causes through video recording three

classes in which the teacher used traditional teaching method to teach English
to children. Besides, an evaluation of the students‟ speaking and listening
abilities was made using the criteria for evaluating each student‟s speaking
and listening abilities in English lessons include speaking and listening skills.
There are standard tasks to evaluate student‟s speaking and listening abilities
in 3 English classes for 5 year old children.
- The author drew strategies for improvement (plan for action): planning
lessons to try out the use of body language in English teaching to motivate
Sao Mai five years old students to learn English and to improve their English
speaking and listening skills.
Stage 2: Acting
The author used techniques of using body language in English lessons
and making records of what happened in class.
Stage 3: Observing
Ten volunteer teachers were asked to observe the lessons using a
common observation checklist.
Stage 4: Evaluation
- The speaking and listening tasks mentioned in the stage 1 with marking
criteria was carried out again to evaluate the students‟ improvement after
English lessons using body language in teaching.
- The results of observation were used to evaluate the children‟s attitudes
towards the use of body language in English teaching and the success of the
action on using that to teach English to the five years old students at Sao Mai
Kindergarten. Next, the conclusion and commendations were made.
4


5.2. Participants
30 five - year - old students and 10 teachers of Sao Mai Kindergarten took
part in the research which was carried out during the second term of the

academic year 2013-2014.
5.3. Procedures
- At the beginning of second term of the academic year 2013-2014, three
English lessons taught in the traditional way from 3 classes with 30 students
were recorded with a video camera. Then an evaluation of students‟ speaking
and listening skills was carried out. Video tapes recorded on the lessons were
watched carefully and the result of the evaluation was used to find out the
problem and its causes which made the low teaching and learning English in
Sao Mai Kindergarten.
- The researcher planned lessons to try out the use of body language in
English teaching to motivate Sao Mai five year old students to learn English.
- The researcher tried out the techniques of using body language in English
lessons and making records of what happened in 3 classes with 30 students.
- Ten volunteer teachers were asked to observe lessons in the three classes
and observation checklist were used.
- The tasks with speaking and listening criteria in the planning stage were
carried out again to evaluate the children‟s speaking and listening
improvement.
- The result of observation for 3 classes was used to evaluate the students‟
attitude towards the use of body language in their English lessons and the
5

success of the action on that to teach English to the five year old at Sao Mai
Kindergarten.
- Data from observation tool data was analyzed quantitatively for descriptive
statistics and qualitatively for tendency towards the two themes represented
in the two research questions.
- Then writing up was made to complete the research.

6

PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF THE RESEARCH
1.1. Teaching English to children
1.1.1. Typical characteristics of children
Good teaching begins with knowing the learners‟ characteristics – what
they are like developmentally, individually and culturally. In general, children
are interested in funny activities in which they can feel happy and relaxed.
Not only choosing what they like, children also feel highly attracted to
activities in which they can create their own rules (Valencia Forero, 2011).
When teaching, the teacher should pay attention to the children‟s behaviors
because these actions are the signs showing their development.
Kindergarten children, no matter what their cultural and experiential
background, have characteristics in common with other children their age and
characteristics that are particularly their own.

Firstly, physical activity is one common characteristic of kindergarten
children, although children vary a great deal in the development of physical
skills and abilities. While some children are slow and cautious about trying
new things, others seem to accept any challenge they can get. Most
kindergarten children are full of energy, ready to run, swing, climb and jump
and are eager to try their strength by moving big blocks or boxes. They are
developing a sense of rhythm, and enjoy such activities as marching, jumping
or clapping to music. Movement activities should follow any stillness activity.
Stillness is more exhausting and stressful for most kindergarten children than
movement (Characteristics of Kindergarten Children, n.d.).
7

Secondly, children develop socially and emotionally during the
kindergarten year (Characteristics of Kindergarten Children, n.d.). At the
beginning of going to school, some children may be shy and afraid of the new
environment. They have to stay with new teachers, play with new friends and
do not meet their parents all the time. However, when they are acquainted
with the situation, the teachers and peers, they usually gain confidence and
begin to establish friendship and become an active part of the class. Playing
with other kids in the class is also a time of testing and exploring social
relationship. By participating in activities such as sharing the toys,
exchanging the ideas with peers, suggesting solutions to practical problems,
children are able to develop some skills as working in group, helping the
partners, control their behaviors to the right way. It shows that the kids may
develop not only a sense of independence but also learn how to work
cooperatively with others and show considerable empathy toward poor people
and animals.
In addition, at the young age, children also develop their intelligence
rapidly. Their intellectual development is reflected in the quick growth of
vocabulary and the ability to express their ideas (Characteristics of

Kindergarten Children, n.d.). They are developing visual and auditory
memory and the ability to listen to others. Opportunities to talk about what
they do, what they see and what they hear may help children construct the
meaning and learn from their experiences. The language and ideas shared by
others enable children to gradually organize and attach meaning to their daily
observations and activities. They love to find out about new things and ask
many questions about them, sometimes those are unanswerable. Their
curiosity leads them to figure out concepts and relationships, and become
interested in symbols.
8

Furthermore, according to Scoot and Ytreberg (1990), there are some
characteristics of children:
1. The children ask questions all the time;
2. They rely on both the spoken word and the physical representation of
the word to convey and understand meaning;
3. They have definite views about what they like and do not like to do;
4. They have developed sense of fairness about what happens in the
classroom and they begin to question the teacher‟s decisions;
5. They are able to work with others and learn from others.
In order to teach English effectively to children, the teacher must
comprehend their typical features to choose and apply suitable methods,
techniques and activities. The use of body language may be one of the
suitable teaching methods and techniques which can develop children‟s
characteristics and help them learning better basing on those ones.
1.1.2. The teaching of English to children
According to Sukarno (2008), in teaching English to children, the teachers
should understand the concept of acquisition and learning. Acquisition can be
defined as a process of having language naturally or sub-consciously. In this
way, children can develop their ability in language by using it in natural and

communicative situations. On the other hand, learning is a process of having
language consciously. For instance, a student can have a conscious knowledge
about grammar, phonetics and so on through some rules. It is said that
acquiring a language is “picking it up” and language learning is “knowing the
rules” (Krashen and Terrell, 1983:18).
In line with children‟s development and the two concepts mentioned
above (acquisition and learning), the teaching of English to children requires
9

situations in which the students acquire language abilities by means of
acquisition rather than learning. It means that the students acquire language
naturally and communicatively. In the teaching-learning process, the English
teachers must know the kinds of language learning resources for children, as
follows (Sukarno, 2008:59):
a. Learning resources are materials which are ordered and learned
as interesting activities which children usually do in their daily lives.
b. Learning resources for children must be appropriate for
children’s aptitude, will, world, and so forth. Therefore, ideal
English teachers to young learners are those who are familiar with
English songs and games in English. In addition, they are able to
change those materials into interesting ones.
c. There must be a clear distinction between technique and resource.
Songs, stories, poems, and games are resources.
In teaching English to children, the English teachers need to comprehend
language learning principles, which are as follows:
1. Children learn through experiences by using or controlling surrounding
objects. This means that they learn through playing with the toys or acting as
what they see in the environment. As a result, music, drama or interesting
activities are good choices for the teachers in delivering the materials so that
their students are able to obtain the lessons quickly and effectively.

2. Kids can learn more easily through social context. Vygotsky in
Hudelson (1991: 257) states that children learn in social contexts, in groups
where some group members know more than others. Hence, the teachers had
better create teaching situations which are familiar with social contexts and
children‟s lives.
10

3. Sukarno (2008) states that acquisition happens when learners
understand how the language is used. By using and testing out the language,
the learners find out how the language works. For that reason, the English
teacher should use English correctly in appropriate situations.
4. Language acquisition occurs through social interaction. This theory is
supported by Vygotsky in Hudelson (1991: 257). It means that English should
be used in the class room naturally as if they were in their society (Sukarno,
2008: 60).
From those above - mentioned issues, we can see that teaching to children
is very different from that to adults. Unlike many adults, children are still
developing cognitively, linguistically, socially, emotionally and physically. At
this age, the children are discovering rules for interacting with others,
understanding their own reactions to others and to events. Therefore, teacher
should not teach them with so complicated explanation. In teaching
vocabulary, for example, using pictures, body language, or music are
suggested to explain new words in easy ways to understand. Besides, children
often learn slowly and forget quickly. Hence, creating natural environment
and practicing regularly are considered necessary to teach a new language to
them.
1.2. Using body language in teaching English to children
1.2.1. Body language
1.2.1.1. Definition
Body language is an important media through which people communicate

with each other. According to Barbara (1957: 3), body language can be
defined as “non – verbal behavior (movements and postures, facial
expression, glances and eye contact, automatic reactions, spatial and
11

touching behavior) which is meaningful in both natural and fictional
communication.” It is an important aspect of non – verbal communication
which is usually understood as the process of communicating what you are
feeling or thinking by the way you place and move your body rather than by
words. It refers to the patterns of facial expressions and gestures that people
use to express their feelings in communication.
1.2.1.2. Classification of body language
There are three ways to classify body language (Nguyen Quang,
2008:112):
According to function, we can divide body language into five groups.
They are emblems, illustrators, affect display, regulators, and adaptors.
According to origin, body language can be divided into seven groups
including universal, inborn, genetically transferred, individual, group
specific, area specific, and cultural specific one.
According to body parts, body language can be divided into six groups.
They are denoted as eye contact, facial expression, physical
characteristics, gestures, postures and body movements, and touch.
Eye contact is an event in which two people or animals look at each
other‟s eyes at the same time. As saying goes “The eyes are the window of the
soul”. That is to say, we can read one‟s mind through his/her eyes. Eyes
language can express complicated feelings and it is an important way to judge
the intimacy of communicators. In humans, eye contact can show personal
involvement and create intimate bonds. Mutual gaze narrows the physical the
physical gap between humans (Nguyen Quang: 2008).
12

Facial expressions results from one or more motions or positions of the
muscles of the face. These movements convey the emotional state of the
individual to observers. Some examples of feelings that can be expressed are:
anger, concentration, confusion, contempt, desire, surprise, and so on
(Nguyen Quang: 2008).
Physical characteristics of certain person, such as eye (small, big…), nose,
mouth (full lip, thin lip, narrow…), body (high, short, fat, thin…), skin (white,
sunburnt…) immediately transfer any certain message of his or her social
status, physical status, literacy… at different level of accuracy (Nguyen
Quang: 2008).
Gesture is movement or position of the hand, arm, body, head, or face that
is used to convey an idea, opinion, or emotion. This form of communication
gets a point across without the use of words, making it a form of non-verbal
communication. Gestures can be used in many ways from showing ones anger
with physical violence to expressing a gesture of sympathy at a funeral by
placing flowers on the casket. Gestures in that sense are not just movements
of the body, but symbolic gestures. For example, it could be a nice “gesture”
to send someone a thank you card for a present they have given you. Another
example of a nice gesture would be to send someone flowers when they sick
or something bad has happened to them.
Postures and body movements are the position of the body; the situation
or disposition of the several parts of the body with respect to each other, or for
a particular purpose. The anthropology of posture Hewes (1957) said:
“Posture is a matter of how people sit, walk, stand and move”.
Touch (tactile/ haptics) refers to the way people exchange information by
touching one‟s body. Touching is often used as a form of demonstrating
13

sympathy, intimacy, particularly between women. Men also may use it, but it

is easily confused with acts of power (it may also be mistaken for homosexual
acts of intimacy) (Guirdham, 1999).
1.2.2. Advantages of using body language in teaching English to children
From the above – mentioned things, it is referred that using body language
in the development of teaching is appropriate for the characteristics of the
children for the reason that they are attracted to the physical movement. It
seems to be easier for them to learn something which is taught through facial
expression, gestures, eye contact and so on. Children enjoy moving around
without thinking whether they can break the classroom rules or not.
Furthermore, children love to play, they learn better when they are enjoying
themselves and they like thinking what they are doing is a real work. There
are some advantages of using body language by which a child can learn new
things naturally and effectively in English teaching class, as follows:
1.2.2.1. Vocabulary improvement
Teaching vocabulary is one of the most important duties in English
teaching to children. The kids often learn new things easily and also forget
quickly. Therefore, the teachers should pay more attention to teaching
methods and using body language is one of them to fully mobilize their study
interest in word teaching. In this way, the teachers do the action while
teaching words or phrases. There are a lot of words which can be directly
expressed through actions. For example, when teaching adjectives “happy,
sad, hungry, angry, tired”, the teacher may say the words and using facial
expressions and gestures showing those emotions at the same time
(expressing “happy” with a smiling face, “sad” with a crying one ). Along
those lines, teachers also only do the actions and ask the students to guess the
14

meanings of these ones, then tell them in English. By this way, the kids will
understand how these words denote the meanings more easily and remember
them quickly and effectively.

1.2.2.2. Speaking improvement
According to Zhang Xing Mei (2013), the spoken language is one of the
important ways to communicate, so we should try to develop the students'
ability of speaking. Factually they are helped to reach the aim in a certain
degree by their teacher's body language.
In general, body language can improve the students‟ speaking skill and
their ability of using English in suitable situations. In the English class, the
teachers should not only use body languages themselves, but also ask the
students to use them according to the different situation. This can be seen
when teaching a greeting lesson. It is the time when the students first meet
and they do not know each other. So to start, the teacher can introduce herself
first. During the introduction, the teacher should use the new vocabularies and
sentence structures together with attracting expressions and gestures as
possibly as she can. She smiles when she says hello to the class; she shakes
hands with some students saying "Nice to meet you"; she writes name down
on the blackboard; she imitates the action of holding a micro and singing,
playing badminton and turning pages to explain her hobbies. After her
introduction, the teacher can create a circumstance for the students to practice.
Usually, the application of body language in different situations will result in
an attracting and successful lesson. The children not only understand the
usage of the structures but they can also practice these naturally in the right
situation, which improve their speaking competence.

15

1.2.2.3. Daily language understanding
In kindergarten school, the children are just acquainted with English. So,
some oral sentences of the English teachers are not easy to be understood, and
then the teachers can use gestures while saying. For example (Zhang Xing
Mei, 2013):

 “Listen”: we put hand near ear and do pose of listen.
 “Point”: we use fingers to point the book while say to imply mean of
point.
 We can stretch out two thumbs when say “practice in pairs”
 We can stretch out the thumb while say “good” or “wonderful” to
praise students.
The students will understand unconsciously the meaning of words as long
as continuous training like this.
In a lesson, body language is available from beginning to end, whether
teaching letters and words, sentences, or songs, to optimize the teaching.
Another, in the English teaching classroom, using body language may change
difficulty into ease.
In conclusion, in English teaching activities, both encouraging eyes and a
caressing action of teachers can let children feel love, support and trust.
Effective use of body language may enhance teacher - student feelings, arouse
interest in learning, and then improve the teaching effect. In addition,
improper use body language will let children cause error in understanding. In
the long run, it can make children lose interest in learning. Therefore, teachers
should consciously and properly use body language well and together with the
spoken language in order to achieve the aim of English teaching effectively.
16

1.2.3 Some kinds of body language used in English teaching class
1.2.3.1. The use of gestures
Sign language, which is the movement or position of fingers, palms and
arms acting with each other to spread feelings and reach the idea, is an
important part of body language. In English teaching, the appropriate
application of the sign language to assist education is very necessary. For
example, when a teacher wants to hint a student to stand up to answer a
question, he or she can then head the center of his palm up and lift it. On the

contrary, if a teacher wants to ask a student to sit down, he or she can wield
the center of his or her palm down. When a student‟s answer to a question is
right, the teacher stick out the thumb means “How great you are!” When
explaining the meaning of “Shake hands with somebody” in detail, the teacher
makes an action of handshake, then the students appreciate it right away. This
shows that the fittingly application of sign language can assist the teaching
work, even some students who are poor in foundation can understand the
teacher‟s meaning and receive the information amusedly. In this way, the
students can memorize the lesson, succeed in communication, and the
teachers also strengthen the effect of their teaching.
1.2.3.2. The use of facial expression
The facial expression is the useful information source in teaching English.
Yin Li (2001) states that it is called „the weather chart” of the person‟s
thought affection. In the classroom, the teacher‟s facial expression has a great
influence on students‟ mood. For instance, if the teachers show their kind and
genial faces, the students will feel the teacher‟s love and faith, kindness and
sincerity, then they will be in high spirits, and go into the study with full
enthusiasm, and increase their study efficiency. In a so long lesson such as