Students Can Lie with their Tongue but their Body is another Story…

Students Can Lie with their Tongue but their Body is another Story…

There are two forms of communication: verbal and non-verbal. This paper will focus on understanding non-verbal communication (body language) and why it is just as important as verbal communication. What I hope to convey is that human actions are more powerful than their verbal expressions. I am inclined to believe that students and coaches may lie with their tongue, but their body language will tell the real truth.
“In certain situations, you can detect a lie - not by what you hear, but what you see. A person’s physical movements will give him/her away every time. Just like the human eye, every movement has a reason backed up behind it. If you can read body language, you will gain the upper hand in any confrontation. The liar will not know he is giving himself away by making certain body movements, because they are all done subconsciously. The subconscious mind is a powerful part of your brain. It is one that the average person underestimates. A lot of the movements we make are orchestrated by the subconscious mind” (humanliedetection).
I am not saying that everyone who comes to the writing center is most likely to lie…. however, I have observed that the communication between a coach and the student is often manipulated though body language (either by the coach or the student). My observations are focused on both the student and the coach. I wanted to understand how body language advanced or hindered a session. My first observations concentrated on how the student’s body language elicited a response from the coach.
Method:
My Research was prepared at Kean University’s Writing Center throughout several coaching sessions. Before I began my observations, I made sure that both the student and coach were aware that I was conducting an observation for an English class assignment. In order to prevent conscious and deliberate changes in their body language, I did not share with them my purpose for the observations. The data that I have gathered through these observations will be used to provide information to support my supposition.
Observation One: (Coach and student have not work together before and the coach was fairly new to the job.)
Background:
When students come to the writing center for help, they arrive to with very different learning levels. These students all have one thing in common – the need to feel comfortable. The best way for a coach to assess their comfort level is to look for the non-verbal clues. A student that is comfortable will be more eager to learn. The student I observed was a “drop in” looking for help with an assignment on how to make a lesson plan for fourth grade. The student had her lesson topic and what was needed to create the lesson plan. She seemed to only to want the answers and did not seem to care about the meaning of terms like ‘observation’, ‘materials’, ‘objectives’ and etc.
Observation One notes:
Before the session even began, the student started to rub her hands and twisting her pen between her fingers. Then she seemed even more uncomfortable as she moved back and forth in her chair. Generally, when someone rubs their hands together, it is a sign of expectations of something good to occur. When no positive response was received the twisting began. This is often a comforting action for a child who is tense or anxious. It may become habitual in later life when faced with stressful situations. A simple smile from the coach may have helped with the tense and nervous student, helping to build a feeling of trust. A very simple verbal response…. “Uh-huh” … was used repeatedly to indicate understanding what the coach was saying. However, the student’s blank stare and rapid blinking of the eyes indicated that her verbal communication was just to please the coach. “Eyes maintaining little or no eye contact, or rapid eye movements, with pupils constricted, is a clear sign of lying” (mindtools). Thankfully, it seemed very clear to the coach that the student didn’t want to admit that she didn’t understand. The coach proceeded to leaned closer to the student and re-explained the her points. “When people are closer, it is easier to communicate with them” (changingminds). The coach spoke softly to try to get the student engaged and to feel more comfortable. The effort proved fairly unsuccessful since the student kept swallowing and nodding - waiting for the next response from the coach. Continuing to try to make the student more at ease, the coach asked her if she was cold, since she was shaking in her chair. In my opinion, the student was there to get the poor, unknowing, coach to give her the answers to the questions on the hand-out. Finally, the coach seemed to catch on to the ruse and asked the student to try the next one on her own. As soon as this was suggested, the student crossed her arms across her chest and pouted in her chair. This action…arms folded tightly across the chest… may indicate that the subject is considering a retreat. This is a nervous and defensive attitude. Where to go from here? The coach began to ‘help’ again (more like giving the student the answers to finish the session). Once the student realized she could overpower the coach, she brought out a new assignment and the cycle began again.
In my opinion, the body language of the student was used (unconscious or not) to control the coach. The coach seemed to be bullied by the student’s non-verbal actions. The only actual verbal communication, that wasn’t interrupted by the student, was the coach giving the answers. Each time the coach wanted to explain a term that was used, the student said “I KNOW” and waited for the coach to give the answer to the actual question. The student’s body language was even more defensive than her tone. “Studies have found that nonverbal cues have more than four times the impact on the impression you make, than anything you say”(Goman,163). Since the coach was overpowered by the student’s nonverbal communication skills, she just gave the student what she wanted… the answer and nothing else. The student achieved her goal of getting the work done, but missed out on a chance to understand the assignment.

Findings from Observation One:
On the surface the student was satisfied with the outcome of the session; she left with a smile on her face with both assignments done. There are three key things I am looking for comprehension, comfort, and the understanding of body language for both the student and coach. There was no comprehension of the assignment on the students’ part, and for the coach, after talking to her once the student left felt, she felt nothing was achieved and even felt a little betrayed. There was no sign of comfort level for either the coach or the student, once the session was over; it was over, no thank you or acknowledgement that the session even ended. Once the students’ homework was completed the student got up and just left. Body language and verbal negativity was very clearly used by the student.

Observation Two : (Coach is experienced but has not worked with this student before)
Background:
I wanted to focus on coaches’ body language and how it affects the student that they have not worked with before; this coach has had 3 years of experience logged in at the writing center.
Observation Notes:
The student had a graded assignment that they wanted to go over to see how the assignment could have been improved. Observation Two: The Coach and student were sitting close together working on a description and interruption project. The student was to review a small coaching session and talk about cause and effect. The student was focused on how happy the mock actor was. The coach asked “how did you know the person was happy”? The coach continued, “You need to describe what clues were used to how the mock student was happy”. Then the coach suggested that they should watch the movie again. The student did not want to watch the movie because they have seen it too many times already. The coach said well then what you should say is… that the mock student appeared to be happy instead of saying the student was happy. This was a paper that was already graded but the student wanted to understand what they might do to get a better grade. The coach smiled and they both laughed about how word placement makes a big difference in writing. The smile the coach gave was reassurance to the student which lightened up the mood. “It may sound silly, but there is a lot of power associated with a smile” (lifecoachingstudio). The coach continued to read the paper which was on the student’s laptop. The coach opened and closed their hands while thinking about what the student was trying to say. While observing this I could tell the coach was trying to think about what he/she was going to say. The coach then suggested that the student should take apart each paragraph and make each one more detailed. The coach didn’t just leave it at that, they continued with explaining that if the student would isolate each paragraph forcing each paragraph to stand on its own. Then again the coach asked if they could revert back to the video so they could do this exercise, but the student did not want too, at all. The coach picked up on the defiance that was being communicated thought the students body language. The student leaned back in the chair and crossed their arms saying they were closed to this topic. The coach handled it very well and read the signs. The coach leaned in and gave a smile, and said “I understand you have seen the video too much and don’t want to watch it again…I get that, and then she laughed.” The student smirked and leaned forward again showing they were ready to communicate again. The student wanted to continue talking about their writing skills and focus on the conclusion of the paper. The coach said that they would love to see the film, but I know that’s not what the student wanted, so the coach would go on instinct. The coach started to twirl their hair with his/ her pointer finger and sat for a few moments re-reading the paper again. “Hair-twirling is a sign of incompetence and uncertainty” ( cba.uni.edu).The coach gave information on detail and found a few grammatical errors. The student seemed to be pleased because they were smiling and interacting with the coach’s comments. The student got up to leave and turned around and thanked the coach two times…indicating that they were pleased with the session.

Findings from Observation Two:
This session seemed to go in favorer of the coach because the coach had a positive body language and took control of the time they spent together. The one crustal point where the coach almost lost control was when the student became defiant. The coach picked up on the body language and took control again with leaning in close and creating a friendly atmosphere, with a simple smile. The coach also was very articulate with their words and took the time to think before he/she spoke. The coach let their fingers speak for them, showing the students that they were there to help and didn’t just say what the student wanted to hear. The coach used trust in her communication by “closing the distance between you rather than increasing it” (Morgan, 74).
Where the three key points covered in this session? First, I observed comprehension for both the student and the student. They both seemed to be satisfied with the outcome. The student gained the knowledge that he was looking for, while the coach also seemed to comprehend her own body language and how it related to the student. How I know this is I talked to the coach after the session and she asked if she could see my notes. We talked about the different clues that I picked up on. The ones that she was aware that she was doing, and the once she wasn’t aware of. Both the student and coach seemed to be comfortable with each other. When there seemed to have some signs of discomfort the coach took control of the situation and created a more ‘lightened’ environment with the use of a simple smile. Body language was used by both the student and the coach. I found when the student exhibited a negative body language reaction the coach would counter it with a positive one, generating a more encouraging environment to learn. This was a very positive session for both the student and the coach.

Observation Three: (Coach and student have worked together but coach is inexperienced)
Background:
I wanted to focus on is students and coaches that have worked together before and if this making a difference in.
student writing an observation an interaction of a four year old that he/she observed in a preschool environment. The student and the coach have worked together.

Observation Three notes:
The coach and the student seemed to be comfortable with each other and they have worked together before. The setting was in the front room and not at a table. The coach asked the student to read her observation out loud and had to several time ask the student to speak up. The student wrote her observation on his/her laptop. The student had to try and balance the laptop on the arm rest of the chair while the coach was leaning over to see the screen. The coach was sitting with her elbow on the arm rest and her chin in her palm, with her fingers curled to her face. The student started to ask if the coach was tiered but the coach replied no. The student continues to read what laptop was on his/her while the coach tried to listen. I saw the coach be distracted by the phone ringing and people walking by the window. When the student picked up on a problem with her observation the coach helped his/her make the correction (grammar). Then the student started to read and the coaches’ eyes closed. The student looked up and said are you sure you’re not tiered and the coach replied no again just listening to you read. The student continued and there was a flow problem with the next paragraph that neither the coach nor the student picked up on. I wanted to say something but couldn’t. The next few line the coach did pick up on another mistake and asked the student to read it again. The student did and still did not pick up on the problem. The coach said come on you know this and told the student to give it one more try. The student did but still did not see the problem. The coach asked me if I could tell where the problem was, but I also did not pick it up, since I could not see the laptop from where I was sitting. The coach then said see how you are pausing when you read the sentence between this word and that what does that tell you> the student thought about it for a few seconds and said I don’t know. The coach then tapped the student on the shoulder and said you need a comma there. The two laughed and the student said see that’s why I come here. The student move around in his/her sits and started to read again. The coach tried to see what was on the laptop but couldn’t because the student moved and the glare from the lights where effecting the coaches vision. The coach didn’t ask the student to move back so they could see instead the coach just closed their eyes again. I was wondering how the coach was going to pick up another comma or spelling mistake if they couldn’t see. The phone rings again for the fourth time and the coach perks up and moves the laptop so she could see. I know that they are friendly but the coach might have asked instead of just grabbing it. Then a few more errors were picked up and the observation was complete. The student then tells the coach a story about why he/she always wants to work with this coach. They talk about the coaches’ name and how if the student would have had a child their child would have this coach’s name. Then they talk about how they both lost their mothers to diabetes and how they need to work together to get healthy. Once the proof read was over the two became very chatty and animated, it did not seem like the same two people 20 min. before.

Findings from Observation Three:
One of the first things that I found was that the setting seemed to be uncomfortable for both the student and the coach. The two has worked in the front room with a laptop and no table. The coach and the student were sitting in two different arm chairs. The glare from the lights above made it difficult for the coach to read the information on the students’ laptop. The environment created difficulties as I said for the coach to see, so the coach asked the student to read what she wrote aloud. When the student was reading the coach closed her eyes indicating to the student that she was not interested and tiered.
“Listening is anything but a passive, neutral activity. While it may appear that this is all that's going on, many active processes are taking place within the listener--if they're listening well, that is. You see, listening is not just hearing the words people utter. If that's all there was to it, we could train computers to do the job” (stresscure.com).
There are three key things I am looking for comprehension, comfort, and the understanding of body language for both the student and coach.
The student and the coach both had the same comprehension level to learning, and because they have worked with each other’s many times they could read each other’s tells. The feeling that the coach wasn’t paying attention to the student was clear because the student felt comfortable with the coach and was able to express themselves without feeling discourteous. They body language was instinct and they copied one another once the session was over, however during the coaching session they was very little interaction.
Observation Four
Background:

Observation Notes:

Findings from Observation Four:

Conclusions
With the data that I provided my belief that body language is a key factor in learning; I was able to prove my theory is correct . There are combative similarities that both the coaches and the students used during their sessions. Both the students and coaches tried to comprehend the task that was asked of them. This is a great tool used to learning each other’s body languages. The coach and student essentially are able to comprehend the task at hand. Incorporating observation of body language while assisting (by the coach), and or learning (by the student) helps create a better learning experience. When dealing with comprehension the student and or coach may say they understand what is going on, nevertheless have no clue. The perfect example is in Observation One: where the students respond with a very simple verbal response…. “Uh-huh” … was used repeatedly to indicate understanding what the coach was saying. However, the student’s blank stare and rapid blinking of the eyes indicated that her verbal communication was just to please the coach. A more experienced a coach had did not play a key role in my observations, but a person that is observant did, a great example would be in Observation Two: The coach picked up on the defiance that was being communicated thought the students body language. The student leaned back in the chair and crossed their arms saying they were closed to this topic. The coach handled it very well and read the signs. However, body language cannot stand alone, the students and coaches need the proper learning environment, to insure comfort. One of my observations fell short here, observation three gave incites on how important environment is when trying to communicate one on one. A perfect example of not feeling as if the coach trying to help is not listening is... Observation Three: The student started to ask if the coach was tiered but the coach replied no. The student continues to read what laptop was on his/her while the coach tried to listen. I saw the coach be distracted by the phone ringing and people walking by the window. It is the coaches responsibility to create and make sure the student is comfortable with the environment, before a session even begins. Coaches should be aware of the three easements: comprehension, comfort, and the understanding of body language before, during and concluding a session. If these simple steps are taken the chances of a good session for the student and the coach are adequately beneficial.

**Based on the fact that my research was only conducted over a short period of time additional
research is very necessary.




















Resources:
http://www.stresscure.com/relation/7keys.html Mort Orman, M.D. Copyright ©1995-2010 M.C. Orman, MD, FLP.
http://www.humanliedetection.com/BodyLanguageOfLiars.php
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/894740/Body-Language-Hand-and-Arms-Gestures
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/Body_Language.htm
http://www.speechmastery.com/public-speaking-gestures.html
http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/body_language.htm
http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/non-verbal-communication-element-2facial-expressions/Body language: (Improve your body language, improve your confidence!): http://www.lifecoachingstudio.com/pcb2.htm
Interpersonal Distances from Various Categories of Interaction: http://www.cba.uni.edu/buscomm/nonverbal/Body%20Language.htm
http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentaffairs/pdf/sa/resources/communications/bodylang.pdf
Hansen, J. Teaching Without Talking. Phi Delta Kappan v. 92 no. 1 (September 2010) p. 35-40 (Wilson Web)
Students' Perceptions of Characteristics of Effective College Teachers: A Validity Study of a Teaching Evaluation Form Using a Mixed-Methods Analysis
Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Ann E. Witcher, Kathleen M. T. Collins, Janet D. Filer, Cheryl D. Wiedmaier, Chris W. Moore American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Mar., 2007), pp. 113-160

50 Ways to Improve Student Behavior: Simple Solutions to Complex Challenges Breaux, Annette; Whitaker, Todd Eye on Education; 141pp. Dec 2010.
... Discover the Beams of Their Dreams; (45) Work that Body Language!; (46) No Rest for the Weary; (47) A Little Guilt Trip Goes a Long Way; (48) Teach Them to Cope or They'll Create a Way!; (49) Listen, Listen, Listen!; and (50) Only a Fool ... Accession Number: ED509817
Augmentative & Alternative Communication Murphy, PattiExceptional Parent; v37 n8 p48-51 Aug 2007
... feelings when getting a message across through speech or body language is not an option. Variations of such ingredients are working well for two Florida families in unique places on their communication journeys. Their stories are presented. Accession Number: EJ771953
Teen Success! Ideas to Move Your Mind. (2nd Edition)Elye, Beatrice J.Great Potential Press, Inc.; 240pp. 2007.
... Listening and Speaking; (12) Communication Beyond Words: Body Language and Appearance; (13) Organizing Meetings: Like Herding Cats; (14) Public Speaking: Doh! Do I Have To?; (15) Determination and Persistence: Overcoming Obstacles and Difficulties; ...

still going..and going..and going..some day I will be done...I think?

Students Can Lie with their Tongue but their Body is another Story…

There are two forms of communication verbal and non-verbal. This paper will focus on the Understanding non-verbal communication (body language) and how it is just as important as verbal communication. What I will prove with this paper is that people actions are more powerful than their words. Students and Coaches can lie with their tongue but their body language will tell the real truth.
“In certain situations, you can tell a lie not by what you hear, but what you see. A Person’s physical movements will give him/her away every time. Just like the human eye, every movement has a reason backed up behind it. If you can read body language, you will gain the upper hand in any confrontation. The liar will not know he is giving himself away by making certain body movements, because they are all done subconsciously. The subconscious mind is a powerful part of your brain that the average person under estimates. A lot of the movements you make are orchestrated by the subconscious mind” (humanliedetection).
I am not saying that everyone that comes to the writing center looking to lie, but I have observed communication between the coach and the student be manipulated though body language, either by the coach or the student. My focused is based on both the student and the coach. I wanted to understand how body language progressed or digressed a session? First I watched the student and how their body language got the coach to react.
Method: My Research was prepared at Kean University’s writing center through several coaching sessions. Before I could being my observations, I made sure that both the student and coach were aware that I was conducting an observation for an English class assignment. I did not want the coach or the student to be aware of what I was looking for because I was afraid it may change their body language during their session. The data that I have gathered through my observations will be used to provide information to support my theory.
Observation One background: The student was a “drop in” looking for help with an assignment on how to make a lesson plan for fourth grade. The student had their lesson topic, and what was needed to create the lesson plan, but only wanted the answers and did not care about the meaning of words, examples: observation, materials, objective and etc. When coaching students that come to the writing center for help, they come to the center with different learning levels. These students all have one thing in common and that’s the ability to feel comfortable. The best way to achieve the comfort level is nonverbal clues. A student that is comfortable will be more eager to learn.
Observation notes: (Couch and Student have not work together before and the coach was a less experience coach). Before the session even began the student started to rub their hand and twist their pen between their fingers. Then the student became uncomfortable and moved back and forth in their chair. The student started to rub their hands…rubbing of the hands usually means expecting something good to occur, when nothing did… twirling may be a comforting action for a child who is tense and anxious, and may become habitual later in life in stressful situations. A simple smile from the coach may help with the tense and nervous student, building a feeling of trust. The student used verbal communication to the coach saying “uh-huh” acting as if they understood what the coach was saying, but the student’s blank stare and rapid blinking of the eyes indicated that her verbal communication was just to please the coach. “Eyes maintain little or no eye contact, or there may be rapid eye movements, with pupils constricted” is a clear sign of lying (mindtools). Thankfully it was very clear to the coach that the student didn’t want to say that they didn’t understand and the coach leaned closer to the student and re-explained the students focus. “When people are closer, it is easier to communicate with them” (changingminds). The coach spoke softly and tried to get the student engaged and feeling more comfortable. The student still could not get comfortable and kept swallowing and nodding waiting for the next response from the coach. The coach tried to help the student get comfortable and even asked the student if the student was cold, because the student was shaking in their chair. The student was there to get the poor unknowing coach to give the students the answers to their questions on the hand out. When this was identified by the coach, the coach asked the student to try the next one on their own. As soon as the coach suggested this the student crossed their arms across their chest and pouted in their chair. This action, Arms folded tightly across the chess that person maybe threating to leave. This is a nervous and defensive attitude. Where to go from here? The coach then, again help…more like gave the student the answers to finish the session. One the student realized they could over power the coach the student brought out a new assignment and the cycle continued again.
In this session body language was evident and it was used to control the coach. The coach seemed to be bullied by the student’s actions. The only verbal communication that wasn’t interrupted by the student was the coach giving the answers. Every time the coach wanted to explain a term that was used the student said “I KNOW” and waited for the coach to give the answer. The student’s body language was even more defensive then their tone. “Studies have found that nonverbal cues have more than four times the impact on the impression you make than anything you say”(Goman,163). Since the coach was over powered by the student verbally and non-verbally communication skills, the coach just gave the student what they wanted… the answer and nothing else. The student achieved their goal in getting the work done, but missed out on a chance to understand the assignment.
Findings from Observation One:
On the surface the student was satisfied with the outcome of the session; she left with a smile on her face with both assignments done. There are three key things I am looking for comprehension, comfort, and the understanding of body language for both the student and coach. There was no comprehension of the assignment on the students’ part, and for the coach, after talking to her once the student left felt, she felt nothing was achieved and even felt a little betrayed. There was no sign of comfort level for either the coach or the student, once the session was over; it was over, no thank you or acknowledgement that the session even ended. Once the students’ homework was completed the student got up and just left. Body language and verbal negativity was very clearly used by the student.
My Second Observation Background: I wanted to focus on coaches’ body language and how it affects the student that they have not worked with before, this coach has had many hours of experience logged in at the writing center.
My Second Observation notes: he student had a graded assignment that they wanted to go over to see how the assignment could have been improved. Observation Two: The Coach and student were sitting close together working on a description and interruption project. The student was to review a small coaching session and talk about cause and effect. The student was focused on how happy the mock actor was. The coach asked “how did you know the person was happy”? The coach continued, “You need to describe what clues were used to how the mock student was happy”. Then the coach suggested that they should watch the movie again. The student did not want to watch the movie because they have seen it too many times already. The coach said well then what you should say is… that the mock student appeared to be happy instead of saying the student was happy. This was a paper that was already graded but the student wanted to understand what they might do to get a better grade. The coach smiled and they both laughed about how word placement makes a big difference in writing. The smile the coach gave was reassurance to the student which lightened up the mood. “It may sound silly, but there is a lot of power associated with a smile” (lifecoachingstudio). The coach continued to read the paper which was on the student’s laptop. The coach opened and closed their hands while thinking about what the student was trying to say. While observing this I could tell the coach was trying to think about what he/she was going to say. The coach then suggested that the student should take apart each paragraph and make each one more detailed. The coach didn’t just leave it at that, they continued with explaining that if the student would isolate each paragraph forcing each paragraph to stand on its own. Then again the coach asked if they could revert back to the video so they could do this exercise, but the student did not want too, at all. I coach picked up on the defiance that was being communicated thought the students body language. The student leaned back in the chair and crossed their arms saying they were closed to this topic. The coach handled it very well and read the signs. The coach leaned in and gave a smile, and said “I understand you have seen the video too much and don’t want to watch it again…I get that, and then she laughed.” The student smirked and leaned forward again showing they were ready to communicate again. The student wanted to continue talking about their writing skills and focus on the conclusion of the paper. The coach said that they would love to see the film, but I know that’s not what the student wanted, so the coach would go on instinct. The coach started to twirl their hair with his/ her pointer finger and sat for a few moments re-reading the paper again. “Hair-twirling is a sign of incompetence and uncertainty” ( cba.uni.edu).The coach gave information on detail and found a few grammatical errors. The student seemed to be pleased because they were smiling and interacting with the coach’s comments. The student got up to leave and turned around and thanked the coach two times…indicating that they were pleased with the session.
Findings from Observation Two:
This session seemed to go in favorer of the coach because the coach had a positive body language and took control of the time they spent together. The one crustal point where the coach almost lost control was when the student became defiant. The coach picked up on the body language and took control again with leaning in close and creating a friendly atmosphere, with a simple smile. The coach also was very articulate with their words and took the time to think before he/she spoke. The coach let their fingers speak for them, showing the students that they were there to help and didn’t just say what the student wanted to hear. The coach used trust in her communication by “closing the distance between you rather than increasing it” (Morgan, 74).
Where the three key points covered in this session? First, I observed comprehension for both the student and the student. They both seemed to be satisfied with the outcome. The student gained the knowledge that he was looking for, while the coach also seemed to comprehend her own body language and how it related to the student. How I know this is I talked to the coach after the session and she asked if she could see my notes. We talked about the different clues that I picked up on. The ones that she was aware that she was doing, and the once she wasn’t aware of. Both the student and coach seemed to be comfortable with each other. When there seemed to have some signs of discomfort the coach took control of the situation and created a more ‘lightened’ environment with the use of a simple smile. Body language was used by both the student and the coach. I found when the student exhibited a negative body language reaction the coach would counter it with a positive one, generating a more encouraging environment to learn. This was a very positive session for both the student and the coach.
My Third Observation Background: I wanted to focus on is students and coaches that have worked together before and if this making a difference in.
Background: student writing an observation an interaction of a four year old that he/she observed in a preschool environment. The student and the coach have worked together.
My Third Observation notes: The coach and the student seemed to be comfortable with each other and they have worked together before. The setting was in the front room and not at a table. The coach asked the student to read her observation out loud and had to several time ask the student to speak up. The student wrote her observation on his/her laptop. The student had to try and balance the laptop on the arm rest of the chair while the coach was leaning over to see the screen. The coach was sitting with her elbow on the arm rest and her chin in her palm, with her fingers curled to her face. The student started to ask if the coach was tiered but the coach replied no. The student continues to read what laptop was on his/her while the coach tried to listen. I saw the coach be distracted by the phone ringing and people walking by the window. When the student picked up on a problem with her observation the coach helped his/her make the correction (grammar). Then the student started to read and the coaches’ eyes closed. The student looked up and said are you sure you’re not tiered and the coach replied no again just listening to you read. The student continued and there was a flow problem with the next paragraph that neither the coach nor the student picked up on. I wanted to say something but couldn’t. The next few line the coach did pick up on another mistake and asked the student to read it again. The student did and still did not pick up on the problem. The coach said come on you know this and told the student to give it one more try. The student did but still did not see the problem. The coach asked me if I could tell where the problem was, but I also did not pick it up, since I could not see the laptop from where I was sitting. The coach then said see how you are pausing when you read the sentence between this word and that what does that tell you> the student thought about it for a few seconds and said I don’t know. The coach then tapped the student on the shoulder and said you need a comma there. The two laughed and the student said see that’s why I come here. The student move around in his/her sits and started to read again. The coach tried to see what was on the laptop but couldn’t because the student moved and the glare from the lights where effecting the coaches vision. The coach didn’t ask the student to move back so they could see instead the coach just closed their eyes again. I was wondering how the coach was going to pick up another comma or spelling mistake if they couldn’t see. The phone rings again for the fourth time and the coach perks up and moves the laptop so she could see. I know that they are friendly but the coach might have asked instead of just grabbing it. Then a few more errors were picked up and the observation was complete. The student then tells the coach a story about why he/she always wants to work with this coach. They talk about the coaches’ name and how if the student would have had a child their child would have this coach’s name. Then they talk about how they both lost their mothers to diabetes and how they need to work together to get healthy. Once the proof read was over the two became very chatty and animated, it did not seem like the same two people 20 min. before.
Findings from Observation Three: One of the first things that I found was that the setting seemed to be uncomfortable for both the student and the coach. The two has worked in the front room with a laptop and no table. The coach and the student were sitting in two different arm chairs. The glare from the lights above made it difficult for the coach to read the information on the students’ laptop. The environment created difficulties as I said for the coach to see, so the coach asked the student to read what she wrote aloud. When the student was reading the coach closed her eyes indicating to the student that she was not interested and tiered.
“Listening is anything but a passive, neutral activity. While it may appear that this is all that's going on, many active processes are taking place within the listener--if they're listening well, that is. You see, listening is not just hearing the words people utter. If that's all there was to it, we could train computers to do the job” (stresscure.com).
There are three key things I am looking for comprehension, comfort, and the understanding of body language for both the student and coach.
The student and the coach both had the same comprehension level to learning, and because they have worked with each other’s many times they could read each other’s tells. The feeling that the coach wasn’t paying attention to the student was clear because the student felt comfortable with the coach and was able to express themselves without feeling discourteous. They body language was instinct and they copied one another once the session was over, however during the coaching session they was very little interaction.
My fourth and final observation background:

My fourth and final observation:

Findings from Observation Four:

Conclusions:
With the data that I provided my belief that body language is a key factor in learning; I was able to prove my theory is correct. However body language cannot stand alone, the students and coaches need the proper learning environment, to insure comfort. The coach and student also need to be able to comprehend the task at hand. Incorporating observation of body language while assisting (by the coach), and or learning (by the student) helps create a better learning experience. Coaches should be aware for the three easements before, during and concluding a session…comprehension, comfort, and the understanding of body language.
**Based on the fact that my research was only conducted over a short period of time additional
research necessary.

Resources:
http://www.stresscure.com/relation/7keys.html Mort Orman, M.D. Copyright ©1995-2010 M.C. Orman, MD, FLP.
http://www.humanliedetection.com/BodyLanguageOfLiars.php
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/894740/Body-Language-Hand-and-Arms-Gestures
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/Body_Language.htm
http://www.speechmastery.com/public-speaking-gestures.html
http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/body_language.htm
http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/non-verbal-communication-element-2facial-expressions/Body language: (Improve your body language, improve your confidence!): http://www.lifecoachingstudio.com/pcb2.htm
Interpersonal Distances from Various Categories of Interaction: http://www.cba.uni.edu/buscomm/nonverbal/Body%20Language.htm
http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentaffairs/pdf/sa/resources/communications/bodylang.pdf
Hansen, J. Teaching Without Talking. Phi Delta Kappan v. 92 no. 1 (September 2010) p. 35-40 (Wilson Web)
Students' Perceptions of Characteristics of Effective College Teachers: A Validity Study of a Teaching Evaluation Form Using a Mixed-Methods Analysis
Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Ann E. Witcher, Kathleen M. T. Collins, Janet D. Filer, Cheryl D. Wiedmaier, Chris W. Moore American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Mar., 2007), pp. 113-160

50 Ways to Improve Student Behavior: Simple Solutions to Complex Challenges Breaux, Annette; Whitaker, Todd Eye on Education; 141pp. Dec 2010.
... Discover the Beams of Their Dreams; (45) Work that Body Language!; (46) No Rest for the Weary; (47) A Little Guilt Trip Goes a Long Way; (48) Teach Them to Cope or They'll Create a Way!; (49) Listen, Listen, Listen!; and (50) Only a Fool ... Accession Number: ED509817
Augmentative & Alternative Communication Murphy, PattiExceptional Parent; v37 n8 p48-51 Aug 2007
... feelings when getting a message across through speech or body language is not an option. Variations of such ingredients are working well for two Florida families in unique places on their communication journeys. Their stories are presented. Accession Number: EJ771953
Teen Success! Ideas to Move Your Mind. (2nd Edition)Elye, Beatrice J.Great Potential Press, Inc.; 240pp. 2007.
... Listening and Speaking; (12) Communication Beyond Words: Body Language and Appearance; (13) Organizing Meetings: Like Herding Cats; (14) Public Speaking: Doh! Do I Have To?; (15) Determination and Persistence: Overcoming Obstacles and Difficulties; ... Accession Number: ED510193

Students Can Lie with their Tongue but their Body is another Story…paper still

Students Can Lie with their Tongue but their Body is another Story…

There are two forms of communication verbal and non-verbal. This

paper will focus on the Understanding non-verbal communication (body

language) and how it is just as important as verbal communication. What I

will prove with this paper is that people actions are more powerful than

their words. Students and Coaches can lie with their tongue but their body

language will tell the real truth. “In certain situations, you can tell a

lie not by what you hear, but what you see. A Person’s physical movements

will give him/her away every time. Just like the human eye, every movement

has a reason backed up behind it. If you can read body language, you will

gain the upper hand in any confrontation. The liar will not know he is

giving himself away by making certain body movements, because they are all

done subconsciously. The subconscious mind is a powerful part of your

brain that the average person under estimates. A lot of the movements you

make are orchestrated by the subconscious mind” (humanliedetection).

I am not saying that everyone that comes to the writing center looking to

lie, but I have observed communication between the coach and the student

be manipulated though body language, either by the coach or the student.

My focused is based on both the student and the coach. I wanted to

understand how body language progressed or digressed a session? First I

watched the student and how their body language got the coach to react. O

Observation One background: The student was a “drop in” looking for help

with an assignment on how to make a lesson plan for fourth grade. The

student had their lesson topic, and what was needed to create the lesson

plan, but only wanted the answers and did not care about the meaning of

words, examples: observation, materials, objective and etc. When coaching

students that come to the writing center for help, they come to the center

with different learning levels. These students all have one thing in

common and that’s the ability to feel comfortable. The best way to achieve

the comfort level is nonverbal clues. A student that is comfortable will

be more eager to learn.


Observation notes: (Couch and Student have not work together before and

the coach was a less experience coach). Before the session even began the

student started to rub their hand and twist their pen between their

fingers. Then the student became uncomfortable and moved back and forth in

their chair. The student started to rub their hands…rubbing of the hands

usually means expecting something good to occur, when nothing did…

twirling may be a comforting action for a child who is tense and anxious,

and may become habitual later in life in stressful situations. A simple

smile from the coach may help with the tense and nervous student, building

a feeling of trust. The student used verbal communication to the coach

saying “uh-huh” acting as if they understood what the coach was saying,

but the student’s blank stare and rapid blinking of the eyes indicated

that her verbal communication was just to please the coach. “Eyes maintain

little or no eye contact, or there may be rapid eye movements, with pupils

constricted” is a clear sign of lying (mindtools). Thankfully it was very

clear to the coach that the student didn’t want to say that they didn’t

understand and the coach leaned closer to the student and re-explained the

students focus. “When people are closer, it is easier to communicate with

them” (changingminds). The coach spoke softly and tried to get the student

engaged and feeling more comfortable. The student still could not get

comfortable and kept swallowing and nodding waiting for the next response

from the coach. The coach tried to help the student get comfortable and

even asked the student if the student was cold, because the student was

shaking in their chair. The student was there to get the poor unknowing

coach to give the students the answers to their questions on the hand out.

When this was identified by the coach, the coach asked the student to try

the next one on their own. As soon as the coach suggested this the student

crossed their arms across their chest and pouted in their chair. This

action, Arms folded tightly across the chess that person maybe threating

to leave. This is a nervous and defensive attitude. Where to go from here?

The coach then, again help…more like gave the student the answers to

finish the session. One the student realized they could over power the

coach the student brought out a new assignment and the cycle continued

again.

In this session body language was evident and it was used to control the

coach. The coach seemed to be bullied by the student’s actions. The only

verbal communication that wasn’t interrupted by the student was the coach

giving the answers. Every time the coach wanted to explain a term that was

used the student said “I KNOW” and waited for the coach to give the

answer. The student’s body language was even more defensive then their

tone. “Studies have found that nonverbal cues have more than four times

the impact on the impression you make than anything you say”(Goman,163).

Since the coach was over powered by the student verbally and non-verbally

communication skills, the coach just gave the student what they wanted…

the answer and nothing else. The student achieved their goal in getting

the work done, but missed out on a chance to understand the assignment.


On the surface the student was satisfied with the outcome of the session;

she left with a smile on her face with both assignments done. There are

three key things I am looking for comprehension, comfort, and the

understanding of body language for both the student and coach. There was

no comprehension of the assignment on the students’ part, and for the

coach, after talking to her once the student left felt, she felt nothing

was achieved and even felt a little betrayed. There was no sign of

comfort level for either the coach or the student, once the session was

over; it was over, no thank you or acknowledgement that the session even

ended. Once the students’ homework was completed the student got up and

just left. Body language and verbal negativity was very clearly used by

the student.


My Second Observation Background: I wanted to focus on coaches’ body

language and how it affects the student that they have not worked with

before, this coach has had many hours of experience logged in at the

writing center. The student had a graded assignment that they wanted to go

over to see how the assignment could have been improved. Observation Two:

The Coach and student were sitting close together working on a description

and interruption project. The student was to review a small coaching

session and talk about cause and effect. The student was focused on how

happy the mock actor was. The coach asked “how did you know the person was

happy”? The coach continued, “You need to describe what clues were used to

how the mock student was happy”. Then the coach suggested that they should

watch the movie again. The student did not want to watch the movie because

they have seen it too many times already. The coach said well then what

you should say is… that the mock student appeared to be happy instead of

saying the student was happy. This was a paper that was already graded but

the student wanted to understand what they might do to get a better grade.

The coach smiled and they both laughed about how word placement makes a

big difference in writing. The smile the coach gave was reassurance to the

student which lightened up the mood. “It may sound silly, but there is a

lot of power associated with a smile” (lifecoachingstudio). The coach

continued to read the paper which was on the student’s laptop. The coach

opened and closed their hands while thinking about what the student was

trying to say. While observing this I could tell the coach was trying to

think about what he/she was going to say. The coach then suggested that

the student should take apart each paragraph and make each one more

detailed. The coach didn’t just leave it at that, they continued with

explaining that if the student would isolate each paragraph forcing each

paragraph to stand on its own. Then again the coach asked if they could

revert back to the video so they could do this exercise, but the student

did not want too, at all. I coach picked up on the defiance that was being

communicated thought the students body language. The student leaned back

in the chair and crossed their arms saying they were closed to this topic.

The coach handled it very well and read the signs. The coach leaned in and

gave a smile, and said “I understand you have seen the video too much and

don’t want to watch it again…I get that, and then she laughed.” The

student smirked and leaned forward again showing they were ready to

communicate again. The student wanted to continue talking about their

writing skills and focus on the conclusion of the paper. The coach said

that they would love to see the film, but I know that’s not what the

student wanted, so the coach would go on instinct. The coach started to

twirl their hair with his/ her pointer finger and sat for a few moments re-

reading the paper again. “Hair-twirling is a sign of incompetence and

uncertainty” ( cba.uni.edu).The coach gave information on detail and found

a few grammatical errors. The student seemed to be pleased because they

were smiling and interacting with the coach’s comments. The student got up

to leave and turned around and thanked the coach two times…indicating that

they were pleased with the session.


This session seemed to go in favorer of the coach because the coach had a

positive body language and took control of the time they spent together.

The one crustal point where the coach almost lost control was when the

student became defiant. The coach picked up on the body language and took

control again with leaning in close and creating a friendly atmosphere,

with a simple smile. The coach also was very articulate with their words

and took the time to think before he/she spoke. The coach let their

fingers speak for them, showing the students that they were there to help

and didn’t just say what the student wanted to hear. The coach used trust

in her communication by “closing the distance between you rather than

increasing it” (Morgan, 74).

Where the three key points covered in this session? First, I observed

comprehension for both the student and the student. They both seemed to be

satisfied with the outcome. The student gained the knowledge that he was

looking for, while the coach also seemed to comprehend her own body

language and how it related to the student. How I know this is I talked to

the coach after the session and she asked if she could see my notes. We

talked about the different clues that I picked up on. The ones that she

was aware that she was doing, and the once she wasn’t aware of. Both the

student and coach seemed to be comfortable with each other. When there

seemed to have some signs of discomfort the coach took control of the

situation and created a more ‘lightened’ environment with the use of a

simple smile. Body language was used by both the student and the coach.

I found when the student exhibited a negative body language reaction the

coach would counter it with a positive one, generating a more encouraging

environment to learn. This was a very positive session for both the

student and the coach.

The next observation I wanted to focus on is students and coaches that

have worked together before, and if this make a difference.

Background: student writing an observation an interaction of a four year

old that he/she observed in a preschool environment. The student and the c


coach have worked together.


The coach and the student seemed to be comfortable with each other and

they have worked together before. The setting was in the front room and

not at a table. The coach asked the student to read her observation out

loud and had to several time ask the student to speak up. The student

wrote her observation on his/her laptop. The student had to try and

balance the laptop on the arm rest of the chair while the coach was

leaning over to see the screen. The coach was sitting with her elbow on

the arm rest and her chin in her palm, with her fingers curled to her

face. The student started to ask if the coach was tiered but the coach

replied no. The student continues to read what laptop was on his/her while

the coach tried to listen. I saw the coach be distracted by the phone

ringing and people walking by the window. When the student picked up on a

problem with her observation the coach helped his/her make the correction

(grammar). Then the student started to read and the coaches’ eyes closed.

The student looked up and said are you sure you’re not tiered and the

coach replied no again just listening to you read. The student continued

and there was a flow problem with the next paragraph that neither the

coach nor the student picked up on. I wanted to say something but

couldn’t. The next few line the coach did pick up on another mistake and

asked the student to read it again. The student did and still did not pick

up on the problem. The coach said come on you know this and told the

student to give it one more try. The student did but still did not see the

problem. The coach asked me if I could tell where the problem was , but I

also did not pick it up, since I could not see the laptop from where I was

sitting. The coach then said see how you are pausing when you read the

sentence between this word and that what does that tell you> the student

thought about it for a few seconds and said I don’t know. The coach then

tapped the student on the shoulder and said you need a comma there. The

two laughed and the student said see that’s why I come here. The student

move around in his/her sits and started to read again. The coach tried to

see what was on the laptop but couldn’t because the student moved and the

glare from the lights where effecting the coaches vision. The coach didn’t

ask the student to move back so they could see instead the coach just

closed their eyes again. I was wondering how the coach was going to pick

up another comma or spelling mistake if they couldn’t see. The phone rings

again for the fourth time and the coach perks up and moves the laptop so

she could see. I know that they are friendly but the coach might have

asked instead of just grabbing it. Then a few more errors were picked up

and the observation was complete. The student then tells the coach a story

about why he/she always wants to work with this coach. They talk about the

coaches’ name and how if the student would have had a child their child

would have this coach’s name. Then they talk about how they both lost

their mothers to diabetes and how they need to work together to get

healthy. Once the proof read was over the two became very chatty and

animated, it did not seem like the same two people 20 min. before.

blog 18 still working on it

Tammy Ronkowitz


There are two forms of communication verbal and non-verbal. This paper will focus on the Understanding non-verbal communication (body language) and how it is as important, if not more important as verbal communication. What I will prove with this paper is that people actions are more powerful than their words. When coaching students that come to the writing center for help, they come to the center with different learning levels. These students all have one thing in common and that’s the ability to feel comfortable. The best way to achieve the comfort level is nonverbal clues. A student that is comfortable will be more eager to learn.
While collecting data during several coaching sessions, my focused on both the student and the coach. I wanted to understand how body language progressed or digressed a session? First I watched the student and how their body language got the coach to react. Observation One background: The student was a “drop in” looking for help with an assignment on how to make a lesson plan for fourth grade. The student had their lesson topic, and what was needed to create the lesson plan, but only wanted the answers and did not care about the meaning of words, examples: observation, materials, objective and etc. Observation One: The student started to rub their hand and twist their pen between their fingers. Then the student became uncomfortable and moved back and forth in their chair. The student started to rub their hands…rubbing of the hands usually means expecting something good to occur, when nothing did… twirling may be a comforting action for a child who is tense and anxious, and may become habitual later in life in stressful situations. A simple smile from the coach may help with the tense and nervous student, building a feeling of trust. The student used verbal communication to the coach saying “uh-huh” acting as if they understood what the coach was saying, but the student’s blank stare and rapid blinking of the eyes indicated that her verbal communication was just to please the coach. Thankfully it was very clear to the coach that the student didn’t want to say that they didn’t understand and the coach leaned closer to the student and re-explained the students focus. The coach spoke softly and tried to get the student engaged and feeling more comfortable. The student still could not get comfortable and kept swallowing and nodding waiting for the next response from the coach. The coach tried to help the student get comfortable and even asked the student if the student was cold, because the student was shaking in their chair. The student was there to get the poor unknowing coach to give the students the answers to their questions on the hand out. When this was identified by the coach, the coach asked the student to try the next one on their own. As soon as the coach suggested this the student crossed their arms across their chest and pouted in their chair. This action, Arms folded tightly across the chess that person maybe threating to leave. This is a nervous and defensive attitude. Where to go from here? The coach then, again help…more like gave the student the answers to finish the session. One the student realized they could over power the coach the student brought out a new assignment and the cycle continued again.
In this session body language was evident and it was used to control the coach. The coach seemed to be bullied by the student’s actions. The only verbal communication that wasn’t interrupted by the student was the coach giving the answers. Every time the coach wanted to explain a term that was used the student said “I KNOW” and waited for the coach to give the answer. The student’s body language was even more defensive then their tone. “Studies have found that nonverbal cues have more than four times the impact on the impression you make than anything you say”(Goman,163). Since the coach was over powered by the student verbally and non-verbally communication skills, the coach just gave the student what they wanted… the answer and nothing else. The student achieved their goal in getting the work done but missed out on a chance to understand the assignment.
My Second Observation Background: I wanted to focus on coaches’ body language and how it affects the student that they have not worked with before. The student had a graded assignment that they wanted to go over to see how the assignment could have been improved. Observation Two: The Coach and student were sitting close together working on a description and interruption project. The student was to review a small coaching session and talk about cause and effect. The student was focused on how happy the mock actor was. The coach asked “how did you know the person was happy”? The coach continued, “You need to describe what clues were used to how the mock student was happy”. Then the coach suggested that they should watch the movie again. The student did not want to watch the movie because they have seen it too many times already. The coach said well then what you should say is… that the mock student appeared to be happy instead of saying the student was happy. This was a paper that was already graded but the student wanted to understand what they might do to get a better grade. The coach smiled and they both laughed about how word placement makes a big difference in writing. The smile the coach gave was reassurance to the student which lightened up the mood. The coach continued to read the paper which was on the student’s laptop. The coach opened and closed their hands while thinking about what the student was trying to say. While observing this I could tell the coach was trying to think about what he/she was going to say. The coach then suggested that the student should take apart each paragraph and make each one more detailed. The coach didn’t just leave it at that, they continued with explaining that if the student would isolate each paragraph forcing each paragraph to stand on its own. Then again the coach asked if they could revert back to the video so they could do this exercise, but the student did not want too, at all. I coach picked up on the defiance that was being communicated thought the students body language. The student leaned back in the chair and crossed their arms saying they were closed to this topic. The coach handled it very well and read the signs. The coach leaned in and gave a smile, and said “I understand you have seen the video too much and don’t want to watch it again…I get that, and then she laughed.” The student smirked and leaned forward again showing they were ready to communicate again. The student wanted to continue talking about their writing skills and focus on the conclusion of the paper. The coach said that they would love to see the film, but I know that’s not what the student wanted, so the coach would go on instinct. The coach started to twirl their hair with his/ her pointer finger and sat for a few moments re-reading the paper again. The coach gave information on detail and found a few grammatical errors. The student seemed to be pleased because they were smiling and interacting with the coach’s comments. The student got up to leave and turned around and thanked the coach two times…indicating that they were pleased with the session.
This session seemed to go in favorer of the coach because the coach had a positive body language and took control of the time they spent together. The one crustal point where the coach almost lost control was when the student became defiant. The coach picked up on the body language and took control again with leaning in close and creating a friendly atmosphere, with a simple smile. The coach also was very articulate with their words and took the time to think before he/she spoke. The coach let their fingers speak for them, showing the students that they were there to help and didn’t just say what the student wanted to hear. The coach used trust in her communication by “closing the distance between you rather than increasing it”( Morgan, 74).



two new cites:


and

Trust me by Morgan, Nick

Blog 17 still in the works...lots of info. that needs to plug in ...a lot more

While Coaching In A Writing Center… Do Words Really Matter, or Is The True Language Unspoken.
**My focus is to decide if the Understanding non-verbal communication (body language) is just as important, if not more important as verbal communication. **

I will use coaches that have not worked with the student(s) before and indicate body language and how it progresses session.
Then I will use coaches that have worked with the student(s) more than 3 times before and are very comfortable with each other. I want to observer their body language and how it progresses session.
I so far have watched 2 sessions where the coach and the student have not worked with each other before.
My first notes will be used as a focus on: the student’s body language and then the coach’s reaction to the student’s non-verbal communication. The student started to rub their hand and twist their pen between their fingers. Then the student became uncomfortable and moved back and forth in their chair. Frist the student started to rub their hands…rubbing of the hands usually means expecting something good to occur, when nothing did… twirling may be a comforting action for a child who is tense and anxious, and may become habitual later in life in stressful situations. A simple smile from the coach may help with the tense and nervous student. In this situation, however the coach may have smiled but because of their religious beliefs the coach wore a head veil that covered all but her eyes.
The student then used verbal communication to the coach saying “uh-huh” acting as if they understood what the coach was saying, but the student’s blank stare and rapid blinking of the eyes indicated that her verbal communication was just to please the coach. Thankfully it was very clear to the coach that the student didn’t want to say that they didn’t understand and the coach leaned closer to the student and re-explained the students focus. The coach spoke softly and tried to get the student engaged and feeling more comfortable. The student still could not get comfortable and kept swallowing and nodding waiting for the next response from the coach. The coach tried to help the student get comfortable and even asked the student if the student was cold, because the student was shaking in their chair. The student was there to get the poor unknowing coach to give the students the answers to their questions on the hand out. When this was emanate to the coach the coach asked the student to try the next one on their own. As soon as the coach said that the student crossed their arms across their chest and pouted in their chair. This action, Arms folded tightly across the chess that person maybe threating to leave. This is a nervous and defensive attitude. Where to go from here? The coach then, again help…more like gave the student the answers to finish the session. One the student realized they could over power the coach the student brought out a new assignment and the cycle continued again.


Second notes cover: coaches’ body language and how it affects the student:



Third notes cover interaction of familiar coach and student: coaches’ body language and how it affects the student:



Fourth notes cover interaction of familiar coach and student: the student’s body language and then the coach’s reaction to the student’s non-verbal communication.



Similarities:
Differences:
What could be different?
What does all the information do for my study? How does it help the writing center? The coach? The Student?
Concoction: Is my impression correct in saying body language speaks louder than works…tie all together with concrete evidence to support main objective..(use pie charts and bar graphs).

blog 16 Obsevation 3 notes

Coaching 3 notes
Coach and student were sitting close together working on a description and interruption project. The student was to review a small coaching session and talk about cause and effect. The student was focused on how happy the mock actor was. The coach asked how do you know the person was happy. You need to describe what clues were used to how the mock student was happy. Then the coach suggested that they should watch the movie again. The student did not want to watch the movie because they have seen it too many times already. The coach said well then what you should say is that the mock student appeared to be happy instead of saying the student was happy. This was a paper that was already graded but the student wanted to understand what they might do to get a better grade. The coach smiled and they both laughed about how word placement makes a big difference in writing. The smile the coach gave was reassurance to the student which lightened up the mood. The coach continued to read the paper which was on the student’s laptop. The coach opened and closed her hands while thinking about what the student was trying to say and trying to think about what she was going to say. The coach then suggested that the student should take apart each paragraph and make each one more detailed. To isolate each paragraph so they can stand on its own. Then again the coach asked if they could revert back to the video so they could do this exercise, but the student did not want too, at all. I coach picked up on the defiance that was being communicated thought the students body language. The student leaned back in the chair and crossed their arms saying they were closed to this topic. The coach handled it very well and read the signs. The coach even stated “I understand you have seen the video too much and don’t want to watch it again…I get that, and then she laughed.” The student smirked and leaned forward again showing they were ready to communicate again. The student wanted to continue talking about their writing skills and more focus on the conclusion of the paper. The coach said that they would love to see the film but I know that’s not what the student wanted, so the coach would go on instinct. The coach started to twirl her hair with her pointer finger and sat for a few moments re-reading the paper again. The coach gave information on detail and found a few grammatical errors. The student seemed to be pleased because they were smiling and interacting with the coach’s comments. The student got up to leave and turned around and thanked the coach two times…indicating that they were pleased with the session.

Blog #15: Introduction

Introduction
Student’s will drop-in or sign –up to use the writing center for many different reasons. They also come with different learning style and backgrounds. Students may be sent to the writing center by their professor or come on their own. The reason students come to the writing center, varies however they all have one thing in common…and that is the use of body language. This thesis will focuses mainly on body language and how it works in a coaching session. I believe that body langue gives clues to both parties (the coach and student) and allows each individual to feed off the other person’s body language for clues on how to precede with the coaching session. I want to prove that body language is just as important, or more important as verbal communication.
Research Question:
My focus is to decide if the Understanding non-verbal communication (body language) is just as important, if not more important as verbal communication.

Research Plan

Purpose:
The purpose of my paper is to prove that the Understanding non-verbal communication is even more important to commutation then communication by its self. Body language provides clues on how the communication is going.

Research Question:
My focus is to decide if the Understanding non-verbal communication (body language) is just as important, if not more important as verbal communication.

What is needed:
A detailed understanding of body language:
1. Arm/Hand Gestures Arm/Hand Gestures
• Rubbing of the hands or palm: expecting something good to occur
• Loosely clinched hand: indicates confidence and a relaxed state of mind
• Loosely clinched hands in front of face or placed on a table; positive focus
• Tight clinched hands indicates that a person is frustrated or may have a hostal attitude
• Tight hands below stomach are represents negative thinking
• Hands placed in a “praying “gesture with fingers pointing upward and touching indicates a know it all attitude.
• Hands place in a downward “praying” gesture indicates that the person is willing to listen and take orders.
• Griping Hands, arms and wrist:
• Holding you’re held up high, chin out and hands behind back clinched usually portrays superior confidence
• Hands placed on hips also shows confidence
• Thumb Gestures:
• Very easy to understand thumb up everything is good, while thumb down everything is bad. (two thumbs up).
• Arm Gestures:
• Arms folded tightly across the chess that person maybe threating to leave. This is a nervous, and defensive attitude.
• If you add a leg cross to the above arm cross that person is extremely tense.
• If the person has arms crossed and keeps their thumbs out they are still defensive however they feel that they are superior.
• Folded arms across chest with one had against the chest and the other facing palm out
• portrays a confused state.
• If arms are folded and fists are clinched that person maybe hostile.
• If arms are folded near the stomach area the person is trying to destess and or in a passion to understand.
Website: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/894740/Body-Language-Hand-and-Arms-Gestures
2. Eye contact
• Looking up: When a person looks upwards they are often thinking.
• Looking down: can be a signal of submission, however, In many cultures where eye contact is a rude or dominant signal, people will look down when talking with others in order to show respect.
• Looking sideways: looking away from what is in front of them or looking towards something that has taken their interest.
• Lateral movement: Eyes moving from side-to-side can indicate shiftiness and lying, as if the person is looking for an escape route in case they are found out. Lateral movement can also happen when the person is being conspiratorial, as if they are checking that nobody else is listening. Eyes may also move back and forth sideways (and sometimes up and down) when the person is visualizing a big picture and is literally looking it over.
• Gazing: Looking at their forehead or not at them indicates disinterest. This may also be shown by defocused eyes where the person is 'inside their head' thinking about other things.
• Glancing: Glancing at something can betray a desire for that thing, for example glancing at the door can indicate a desire to leave.
• Glancing at a person can indicate a desire to talk with them. It can also indicate a concern for that person's feeling when something is said that might upset them.
Website: http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/parts_body_language/eyes_body_language.htm

3. Facial expression
• Yawning – sleepy, bored
• Pursing lips – to hold back emotion
• Tearing up and crying – Emotion
• Sweating – feeling uneasy
• Blushing – embarrassed, ill at ease
• Raising eyebrows – surprised, shocked
Website: http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/non-verbal-communication-element-2facial-expressions/

Other sources:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/Body_Language.htm
http://www.speechmastery.com/public-speaking-gestures.html
http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/body_language.htm
and other ones that were listed in previous blog.

notes 2 body laguage or very little interaction

Observation 2

Background: student writing an observation an interaction of a four year old that he/she observed in a preschool environment.
The coach and the student seemed to be comfortable with each other and they have worked together before. The setting was in the front room and not at a table. The coach asked the student to read her observation out loud and had to several time ask the student to speak up. The student wrote her observation on his/her laptop. The student had to try and balance the laptop on the arm rest of the chair while the coach was leaning over to see the screen. The coach was sitting with her elbow on the are rest and her chin in her palm, with her fingers curled to her face. The student started to ask if the coach was tiered but the coach replied no. The student continues to read what laptop was on his/her while the coach tried to listen. I saw the coach be distracted by the phone ringing and people walking by the window. When the student picked up on a problem with her observation the coach helped his/her make the correction (grammar). Then the student started to read and the coaches’ eyes closed. The student looked up and said are you sure you’re not tiered and the coach replied no again just listening to you read. The student continued and there was a flow problem with the next paragraph that neither the coach nor the student picked up on. I wanted to say something but couldn’t. The next few line the coach did pick up on another mistake and asked the student to read it again. The student did and still did not pick up on the problem. The coach said come on you know this and told the student to give it one more try. The student did but still did not see the problem. The coach asked me if I could tell where the problem was , but I also did not pick it up, since I could not see the laptop from where I was sitting. The coach then said see how you are pausing when you read the sentence between this word and that what does that tell you> the student thought about it for a few seconds and said I don’t know. The coach then tapped the student on the shoulder and said you need a comma there. The two laughed and the student said see that’s why I come here. The student move around in his/her sits and started to read again. The coach tried to see what was on the laptop but couldn’t because the student moved and the glare from the lights where effecting the coaches vision. The coach didn’t ask the student to move back so they could see instead the coach just closed their eyes again. I was wondering how the coach was going to pick up another comma or spelling mistake if they couldn’t see. The phone rings again for the fourth time and the coach perks up and moves the laptop so she could see. I know that they are friendly but the coach might have asked instead of just grabbing it. Then a few more errors were picked up and the observation was complete. The student then tells the coach a story about why he/she always wants to work with this coach. They talk about the coaches’ name and how if the student would have had a child their child would have this coach’s name. Then they talk about how they both lost their mothers to diabetes and how they need to work together to get healthy. Once the proof read was over the two became very chatty and animated, it did not seem like the same two people 20 min. before.

notes on observation 1

Notes on tutoring observation
11-2-10
(s) is the student and (c) is the coach

Background:
(s) was a walk-in that had to prepare a lesson plan on day of the dead. The student was taking a Spanish teaching class. The (s) was prepared with the assignment, however unsure how to proceed.

© asked for an explanation on the task ahead of them. The (s) was unclear themselves. The (s) started to rub their hand and twist their pen between their fingers. The (s) then became uncomfortable and moved back and forth in their chair. Picking up on these clues the ( c ) said this is what my understanding of the assignment is, and tried to break down the task at hand. The (s) nodded, and said ok and wrote something on their paper. It was evident to me as the observer that the (s) still did not understand. The (c ) moved on in hopes that maybe if they dove into the assignment maybe it would become more clear for the student. This move was great, (I myself would have thought of a different way to explain it and it might have taken the whole hour to do it…I have the hand holder approach). The (s) was very nervier and kept swallowing and nodding, while looking down at her sleeves, hoping the ( c ) would just give her the next answer. The ( c) gives the (s) the first answer, but brings it back on the (s) for the next question the ( c) asked the (S) what does procedure mean to you. The ( C) pushes for an answer , but no answer came, just the squeak of the chair. The student folded her arms in close to her body, leaned on the table with her elbows and placed her chin in her hands. The (s) couldn’t say anything. They wouldn’t admit that they didn’t know, but with their body language you could just tell. The ( c) moves on after giving her definition of procedure. The ( c) tried and tried to engage the (s) but nothing, the (s) seemed to be a “Deer in headlights”. The ( c) asked the student to read some of the assignment out loud but the student was unwilling. There was silence In the room for about a minute and the ( c), with great poise move on to the next question, as the student leaned back in the chair and started twirling again, waiting for the next answer. As the observer I could tell the (c ) had many tools to draw in the (s ) but the student wasn’t there for help only wanted his/her homework to be completed. The wonderful (c ) continues to push for some sign of effort on the students part other than moving, nodding , and twirling (great for my paper though). The Day of the Dead lesson plan was complete however, now the ( c) was told that the class had to teach this lesson in class, and each teacher only was given 20 minutes to complete the entire lesson. So being the nice person the ( c ) worked on breaking down times for each project the student would be teaching. The ( c) provided great ideas on how to make the lesson work as the (s ) twirled and stared into space.
The (c ) finally had enough and told the (s) very nicely that they might want to go on the computer and do some research on the computer. Though body language the ( s) became very defensive to this suggestion. The (s) pushed back their chair and folded their arms across their chest and finally spoke after 20 min. (other than the words yeah, and ok). The (s) shut down and didn.t feel that they had to do their own work …why because the (s) was at the writing center and giving up their time to be there. In the (s) mind the (c) was there to help and the help the (s) wanted was for the ( c ) to do the work. The ( c ) picked up on this and told the (s ) to to talk to their professor to make sure the (s) was pointed in the right direction. At this point the (s) looked as if they were going to cry and said…my professor will not help me anymore. (That didn’t surprise me because I felt as if the student was looking to be carried and didn’t want to put forth his/her own effort). The (c ) told the student that he/she should make an outline and a time sheet and plug in what the student felt was important. The ( c ) said we will have to move on to the next assignment that the student needed help with or they were going to run out of time.
The next assignment was for a different class and the student again had the topic for this class but was even more clueless on this assignment. The assignment was to pick a religion and culture and talk about what they have learned about the similarities and different between the two. The (c) explained to the student that they should break down the assignment and figure out the first part before moving on to the second. The (s) was more focused on the (c ) ‘s religion and hand how it played out in the coaches life. The student leaned in and took great notes on what the ( c) was saying about themselves, The poor coach was doing the assignment without realizing what she was doing. The student was very manipulative. Once the coach realized they were being manipulated they stopped. When the © stopped talking again the fidgeting and twirling started again. Now what was really interesting, the fidgeting was not only done by the student but also the coach, see Dr. Chandler walked into the room and sat down near the interaction between the © and the (s). Now it seemed to be two students talking and not a (c ) and student. The (c ) lost their confidence level and maybe their feeling of hierarchy. changed. The coaching changed and their seemed to be an older sister giving advice to a younger sister without mommy hearing. Once Dr. Chandler left the area roles went back to (c) and (s).

Question and Bib.

My topic is on body language and how it relates to coaching.

resources:

*Body language: (Improve your body language, improve your confidence!): http://www.lifecoachingstudio.com/pcb2.htm

*Interpersonal Distances from Various Categories of Interaction:
http://www.cba.uni.edu/buscomm/nonverbal/Body%20Language.htm

*Interpreting Gestures:
http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/studentaffairs/pdf/sa/resources/communications/bodylang.pdf

*Hansen, J. Teaching Without Talking. Phi Delta Kappan v. 92 no. 1 (September 2010) p. 35-40 (Wilson Web)

*Students' Perceptions of Characteristics of Effective College Teachers: A Validity Study of a Teaching Evaluation Form Using a Mixed-Methods Analysis
Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Ann E. Witcher, Kathleen M. T. Collins, Janet D. Filer, Cheryl D. Wiedmaier, Chris W. Moore
American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Mar., 2007), pp. 113-160

* 50 Ways to Improve Student Behavior: Simple Solutions to Complex Challenges
Breaux, Annette; Whitaker, Todd
Eye on Education; 141pp. Dec 2010.
... Discover the Beams of Their Dreams; (45) Work that Body Language!; (46) No Rest for the Weary; (47) A Little Guilt Trip Goes a Long Way; (48) Teach Them to Cope or They'll Create a Way!; (49) Listen, Listen, Listen!; and (50) Only a Fool ...
Accession Number: ED509817

* Augmentative & Alternative Communication
Murphy, Patti
Exceptional Parent; v37 n8 p48-51 Aug 2007
... feelings when getting a message across through speech or body language is not an option. Variations of such ingredients are working well for two Florida families in unique places on their communication journeys. Their stories are presented.
Accession Number: EJ771953

* Teen Success! Ideas to Move Your Mind. (2nd Edition)
Elye, Beatrice J.
Great Potential Press, Inc.; 240pp. 2007.
... Listening and Speaking; (12) Communication Beyond Words: Body Language and Appearance; (13) Organizing Meetings: Like Herding Cats; (14) Public Speaking: Doh! Do I Have To?; (15) Determination and Persistence: Overcoming Obstacles and Difficulties; ...
Accession Number: ED510193

Blog 9..Ideas about My Writing Center

* Why a writing center: The writing center was developed to give students the chance to feel comfortable recieving help. The writing center uses students who come from different backrounds and learning experainces. The center is ran by English department faculty, with guidance from other subjects(Education department, Second Lanuage department, etc).

* Qualifations for coaches: The coaches have to be second year or higher students that hold a GPA of a 3.0 in English. Coaches must complete a training program and have a back-round check. We also have e-mail addresses for each coach, so If a question comes up you can contact your coach. These e-mail are screened by our faculty to insure the safty of our coaches. I coaches provide a breif desripotion of themselves so students can have a better chance of relationg to the coach. Hours are posted and in some cases our coaches may be able to attend class with student to provide extra support.

* Who talks....coaches or the student? This will vary but most of the time the student shall do most of the talking. our coaches are in place for guidance and support and not to dominate the session.

* Higher up staff?
The program is ran by the coaches first with support and guidance from English faculty.

* How did this writing ceter come about?
The writing center was developed on many years of research. We do not follow one set style. we understand that every student is diffrent and they each have their own way of learning so, we provide support the same way, "indeviualized".

blog 8 draft paper

Tammy Ronkowitz

Making writing as simple as One…Two…Three…FOUR

When one is writing a paper, the basics should always be remembered….. ‘WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and WHY’.
WHO is your audience? Of course, the first reader will be the instructor who assigned the paper. Addressing this issue can get a little tricky. Most instructors follow the same format. They assign a topic for the paper and ask the student to write about this topic. Although this sounds simple, one must realize that the instructor already has a preconceived idea about what they want in response. Unless one is a mind-reader, the writer may find themselves in a pickle. How does one prevent the inevitable doom? The obvious, (but more difficult for some students) is to simply talk to the instructor. Most professors are more than willing to share their thoughts and listen to other points of view. Instructors are not there to fail the students. In fact, their true goal is to help their students succeeded. If the student is embarrassed to talk in class, most professors will stay behind to share with their students. If they are unavailable after class, or if your concern needs more time, all instructors have office hours. A student can simply drop in and spend time one –on- one. Additionally, most instructors are willing to work around the student’s schedule to arrange for a mutually agreeable appointment time.
Once the topic is clear, the writing can begin. There are several writing ‘tips’ that will help with the process:
1. Support the paper with valid sources. (Wikipedia is not a valid source!)
2. Using thesaurus tools are helpful – but, make sure the words chosen are right. Sometimes meanings change. Be able to define the word, if needed.
3. Get to the point and stay on topic. Keep away from the fluff. That only confuses or bores the reader.
4. Visit the writing center for guidance.
WHAT will be the focus of the paper? What does the student want to write about? What is the professor expecting from the assignment? To find your focus, think about what interests you as a writer. What make the most sense? Try these steps:
1. Critically look at all topic ideas and write a paragraph on each topic. The topic that feels right should be the choice.
2. Write with passion. Don’t write the paper because you have to. Write it because you love to. Make your paper become a part of you and not just a bunch of words on the paper. Remember, there is a reason why no one can ever cook better than your mom. Her food is made with ‘love’. That is how the paper should be written.
3. Decide what you want to achieve. Are you just trying to pass the class? Or, are you willing to put yourself out there to achieve greater.
4. Go to the writing center for inspiration.
The WHEN is simple.... When is the paper due?
Organizing to prepare for the ‘when’ is the easiest to understand but may not be the easiest to commit to. If you look around the classroom on the day papers are due, there are always more empty seats than usual. There is a very good reason. Generally, the ‘absentees’ are overwhelmed and unprepared. Missing class is not the solution. You are not fooling anyone…..the professors know why you are not there! How does one insure that class is not missed on the deadline day? (You need to save that day for a ‘sick day’ at the beach!)
1. Organize your time. Research, plan, write, proof-read, and re-write.
2. Never wait until the last minute to write the paper. Space out your timing. Write a page or two and then return to it again later. Your best work is done over time. Do not overwhelm yourself.
3. Write a few pages and then consult with your professor to make sure you are on the right track. This will reinforce your understanding of what the professor is looking for.
4. Go to the writing center for help and direction.
WHERE you write helps you understand yourself as a writer. Some writers like to have a noisy environment. Listening to music or having background noise helps them concentrate. Other writers need absolute silence…. No noise… No interruptions. Then there are those who fall in the middle….. quiet but an active environment of people or things to observe while writing.
1. Know your style
2. Try other environments
3. Develop your style
4. Visit the writing center to discuss your options and who you are as a writer.
Finally, we reach ‘WHY’. Why should the student put all this thought into writing a paper? It is only one grade! While this may be true, a written paper usually holds more weight than other assignments throughout the semester. Just giving a little bit more of yourself on a written paper can be the difference between passing or failing, taking the class over, or becoming one step closer to graduation. The attitude we take in writing a simple paper helps define the person we become in life. A student that hands in mediocre work and settles for a ‘C-‘ will settle for mediocre in the real world. While a student that pushes himself to become a better writer will see success. This experience will encourage persistence and perseverance in everything they do. Rewards are sweet! So…..
1. Push yourself to reach higher goals.
2. Demand the best for yourself and don’t settle for less.
3. Ask questions. As the popular saying that states, “There is no such thing as a stupid question” - so don’t be afraid to ask.
4. Check out the writing center… for YOU!
One can conclude that becoming a successful writer takes effort and self-analysis. However, help is always key. Throughout the theme (somewhat tongue in cheek) was the availability of the writing center. There is a misconception that this resource is available for someone to proofread your written work. While that may be true, the writing center has so much more to offer. This peer-based gathering center was put in place to help students focus and receive guidance throughout each step of the writing process. Here, great tools for learning new concepts and for positively developing students’ confidence are utilized. Stop in to experience one of Kean’s true gems. What do you have to lose?