Types of nonverbal communication
Can support struggling writers

Using various types of nonverbal communication in teaching writing assists students whose preferred learning modes do not use words, such as those who learn best through images or my hands-on activities.

Obviously, since writing is a verbal activity, you cannot avoid using language to teach and test writing skills. However, you can — and should — supplement spoken and written explanations with nonverbal cues, examples, and support.

Typefaces and their enhancements

Because type is used to display words, you may not realize that the appearance of words can convey meaning quite apart from the meaning of the words. Your students are familiar with some nonverbal typeface communications from their reading:

In a nonfiction text, the relative importance of ideas is shown by the size of heads and subheads.

Boldface is used to emphasize important ideas in a text.

Italics call attention to a word used as a word or a letter used as a letter. Italics also are used to identify titles of publications, including such publications as TV shows and DVD titles as well as print publications.

Putting something in all caps is the printed equivalent of shouting.

Typefaces can also be used to convey information about message content. For example, look at these three type samples:

You could use an usual typeface to suggest an idea, such as the setting of a literary work or the degree of formality required by various kinds of writing.

Hint: Confine your use of specialty faces to use as accents, such as a headline. Don't use them for body copy.

Icons & avatars

Icons and avatars are types of nonverbal communication that are particularly helpful in teaching writing to students for whom verbal learning is difficult: they contain no words at all.

It would be stupid for us to revert to teaching writing via pictographs, but it is equally stupid for us to ignore the value of graphic images for many learners.

Graphic elements:

• Can convey certain information more efficiently than words.

• Are more easily read by some students than words.

When teaching writing to a students who struggle with reading, supplement your verbal instruction with icons, avatars and similar pictorial types of nonverbal communication.

Icons also work well as visual reminders of steps in a strategy or process. See my visuals for the expository paragraph for an example of using icons.

Shapes

People who are not particularly visual may not realize how much information can be communicated by shapes. For example, seeing particular shapes triggers specific driver behaviors.

The organization of an introduction paragraph is often represented by an inverted pyramid. The use of pronouns to link sentences can be represented by interlocking links on a chain.

Shapes also can convey to students the amount and kind of written response needed. For example, a 2x8-inch piece of paper suggests a list; a 6x4-inch piece of paper suggests a paragraph; an 8.5x11-inch piece of papers suggests several paragraphs or more.

2-dimensional images

Aside from body lanaguage, the most commonly used types of nonverbal communications in the classroom are probably 2-dimensional images such as charts, posters, drawings on a whiteboard, photographs and videos.

In teaching writing, charts and posters provide a handy way of reminding students of steps in writing. Fill-in images, such as the outline template, combine visual reminders of strategies and relationships as well as providing a place to record information.

I use 2-dimensional images as cues on the questions I give students to use in providing one another with feedback on their plans for writing essays.

3-dimensional images

English teachers rarely use 3-D images, but they can be very useful in helping students to record spatial information. For example, you might use a doll house as a visual for starting a discussion of organizing and selecting details to include in a physical description.

A large object that students could walk around and observe from various vantage points could be useful for a discussion of point of view.

Clocks, timers, calendars

Many struggling writers need reminders that the time available to work on a writing project is limited. Clocks and old-fashioned kitchen timers that tick off passing time help students be aware of time.

Struggling writers often need help to break a big project into manageable portions. Calendars are useful for planning backward from a due date so work can be completed without undue stress.

Music

Music is one of the types of nonverbal communication that students find most appealing, but which teachers rarely use to good advantage. The trick is to find music that does not compete with the intellectual effort of writing.

You can associate music with various writing tasks. A short, fast piece of music would fit the task of getting a working thesis, for example. You could use a waltz to cue students' use of the evidence waltz.

You could use background music instead of a timer with students who must learn to work against the clock but find a timer produces too much stress.

Body language

Facial expression, gestures, hand signals, eye contact, and touch can communicate to student messages such as:

• "Your time is nearly up."

• "You're doing a good job."

• "That's an interesting idea. Tell me more."

You can calm a restless student by putting your hand on the back of his chair or corner of her desk.

Nonverbal assessments

I've talked here only about using various types of nonverbal communication in teaching students.

You can also have students use nonverbal communication in demonstrating their knowledge. For example, students could prepare visuals that describe a process or act out a writing process.

I would warn you that the only valid measure of writing skill is student writing. Preparing a poster or making a video is not the same as actually writing.

You must use types of nonverbal communication to enhance students' written communication skill, not as a substitute for that skill.