Shiv on Learning

You might wonder how body language works when practising English online.  I will tell you how conveying meaning is possible in a virtual world and can be in many cases more effective.  If you would like to read post #2 click here.

Body Language and inhibition:

A great advantage of teaching face to face is using body language and facial expressions.  A good teacher will always try and use these tools to the best of their ability.  In a virtual world you don’t have your own body language and facial expressions but you do have those of your avatar.  These can be much more powerful than your actual body.  By that I mean teaching elementary students using techniques like TPR can often be embarrassing for the teacher and the learner.  Who really wants to climb on the table or hide behind the door to learn prepositions?  Learning prepositions using your avatar however is fun, engaging and not embarrassing.  It isn’t your real body jumping up and down or hiding underneath something!  Also when you know nobody can see you go red and blush, you are more likely to take risks and make mistakes which is essential to making progress in language learning.

TPR in classrooms can be tricky.

Using your avatar to move around is liberating.

By Jessica Driscoll