2. COMMUNICATIN IN THE FL CLASS.

VERBAL AND NONVERBAL

COMMUNICATION. EXTRALINGUISTIC STRATEGIES: NONVERBAL REACTION
TO MESSAGES IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS

1. INTRODUCTION

Teaching a foreign language aims to provide the sts with c.c. in that language, which
goes beyond the mere teaching of the rules of language, as the use of English must be
contemplated as well. In this line, recent tendencies in FLT focus their attention on a crucial
aspect: language as a means to transmit certain meaning to others, rather than a theoretical
acquisition of linguistic and grammatical rules and items. FLT then, must be contemplated with
reality: with the reality as it takes place outside the classroom, and with the reality of the
learners outside and inside the classroom.

A linguistic theme could be worked perfectly in P.E. since we are providing sts with
activities which try to improve their linguistic production. The possibility of communicating
properly in order to understand and be understood is the most important aim of the Key
competences proposed by the CEFRL. Thus, the Linguistic Competence reinforces this, and will
be always present in the learning of the language. Besides, the Learning to Learn competence is
also decisive since it deals with having the right strategies to approach the language production
in the four skills. All these elements of the Curriculum are clearly shown in the current
Educational law, LOMLOE, and mainly in the Canarian Decree 89 /2014, August 1 st, which
makes specific reference to the English subject.

As linguistics makes reference to the acquisition of the language, any activity related
with both oral and written registers of English will be appropriate to work on: reading
comprehension activities are a must to apply reading and writing skills, listening comprehension
is also decisive to put sts in contact with real accents and oral registers, a speaking corner is also
one of the most representative activities which can be carried out through a brainstorming or
any other which tries to encourage sts to speak in English. Finally, a mistake correction activity
will always try sts to improve their oral and written productions, and the composition technique
has the aim to facilitate proper strategies to provide better sentences, paragraphs, or essays.

In this topic, we shall concentrate on the development of our sts’ c.c., which involves
that we must help them develop all the strategies that may help them understand and get their
meaning across. In this sense, non-verbal communication is a weighty part in oral interaction,
since sts must put it into action.
 2. COMMUNICATION IN THE FL CLASS: VERBAL AND NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION

VERBAL COMMUNICATION
The classroom is an artificial environment, since we provide the learner with some
simulated contexts to use the language. However, it is also a real social context, where learners
and teachers enter into equally real social relationships with each other. Therefore, the class is
the setting where we, as teachers, will try to equip our learners for different contexts.

The use of FL is fundamental in order to provide the sts with sufficient input so that
they can start producing chunks of language in the FL gradually. CLT involves exploiting for
language learning and the classroom management, adapting the language used to the learner’s
level from the beginning. Thus we, as teachers ,should try to make our young learners see and
accept the FL as an effective means of satisfying their communicative needs.

In our everyday language use, we normally focus our attention primarily on the
meaning of what we say or hear, rather than on it linguistic form. Even though, in speaking, we
make automatic and unconscious decisions, depending on factors such as the individual
speaker’s communicative ability, the complexity of the message and the familiarity of the
situation.

From his perspective, we can define the FLT in the following terms: to get the st reach
progressively a satisfactory level of linguistic competence. In order to achieve this goal in the
long run, Littlewood distinguishes two main categories of activities: pre-communicative
activities (focused on form) and communicative activities (focused on meaning).

The traditional role of the teacher as an instructor (presenting new language, exercising
direct control over the sts’ performance, evaluating and so on) is not sufficient to describe
his/her overall function. In a broad sense, the teacher is a facilitator of learning, and may ned to
perform in a variety of specific roles. These includes the following:
-co-ordinator: the teacher must aim to co-ordinate the activities so that they
form a coherent progression;
-manager: the teacher is responsible for grouping activities into lessons and for
ensuring that these are satisfactorily organized at the practical level;
-adviser/consultant: particularly in communicative activities, non intervening
after initiating the proceedings;
-co-communicator: we can stimulate new language, without taking the main
initiative;
-encourager: trying to create a positive ambience.

Furthermore, due to the sts’ age, we should avoid anxiety and inhibitions by organizing
group dynamics where they can feel more confident. Also, young sts look for immediate results.
Task, therefore, should be short, active and with a level of difficulty slightly higher than their
comprehension level.

On the other hand, the learning atmosphere should give them a sense of security and
value as individuals to develop communicative skills. Finally, we have to consider that
communication is not just carried out through verbal aspects, but rather extralinguistic elements
play an essential role in communication, as we shall now see.
 -NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION-
The importance of nonverbal communication is tressed in the organic Law 3/2020,
December 29th as well as in Spanish CV D126/2014 and the Canarian D89/2014 August 1 st, in
its blocks of content, evaluation criteria, and learning standards, which refer to the use of verbal
and nonverbal procedures to facilitate oral interaction.

The term nonverbal communication is used to refer to paralinguistic expressions and

body language in oral interactions and to the aspects of the communicative process that deal
with the production and understanding of messages that are not part of the oral language system.

Despite the fact that nonverbal communication usually occurs in conjunction with
verbal communication, and it shares some common features with oral language, we may note
that it presents some specific characteristics: it is more effective, since it enhances
understanding, particularly at early stages of FLT; it tends to be powerful and clear; some
features of nonverbal communication are universal; and it is more spontaneous.

Nevertheless, there are different types of nonverbal communication in every language.

We may establish some components of nonverbal language:
-signals: an indicator that involves communicative meaning through a codified
massage (a scream for help);
-signs: a natural representation of an event or act (a uniform);
-symbols: they represent an abstraction (a flag);
-kinesics: the use of gestures and body language in communicative situations;
-proxemics: it has to do with the management of physical distance and body
interaction in order to communicate agreement, indifference…

On the other hand, the CEFRL distinguishes amongst the following paralinguistic
codes: gestures, facial expressions, posture, eye contact, proxemics, and body contacts.

In a nutshell, nonverbal language con help sts develop their c.c., since it is related to the
different sub-competences:
-strategic c.: nonverbal strategies to facilitate communicative acts, helping them
associate vocabulary with conventional signs;
-sociolinguistic c.: depending on the formality of the situation, sts should be
aware of the gesture to go with;
-sociocultural c.: sts shall practise nonverbal aspects of English-speaking
countries in communicative situations.

In general, and as a rule, teachers should promote extralinguistic strategies to favour

real communication in the FL, as we shall analyse in the next point.

3. EXTRALINGUISTIC STRATEGIES: NONVERBAL REACTIONS TO

MESSAGES IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS

As we have already said, nonverbal language must be treated along with linguistic skills
abilities in an integrated way, according to the sts’ communicative needs and cognitive
development. Young FL learners need some time until they are able to produce meanings in the
FL. His initial stage of reception and no production is often referred as silent period, in which
the young minds are receiving and processing the language, as it happens in the mother tongue.
 In addition, we need to consider that it is important to develop activities that foster the
sts’ nonverbal abilities so that they can support their speech acts and feel more confident and
less inhibited. As Richards points out, TPR is a teaching method developed by James Asher
built around the co-ordination of speech and action. It attempts to teach language through
physical activities.

Seen in this light, imperative verbs become the central linguistic elements around which
language is used and learning organised. A basic example of a TPR activity which uses
extralinguistic strategies may be the game ‘Simon says’, where, in the context of a game,
children learn to understand simple imperatives along with associated parts of the body or
simple actions. In guise of a conclusion, we may say that TPR is a valid strategy to be used
within the scope of communicative techniques in the FL classroom.

We have already noted that kinesics and proxemics are relevant elements in nonverbal
communication. Basically, kinesics deals with the use of gestures and body language in
communicative situations. However, the gestures and movements used in a culture may not be
the same in a different one. Therefore, an important aspect to develop c.c. in a L2 is the
acquisition of these conventions to avoid misunderstanding and convey messages for different
situations, considering our interlocutors.

On the other hand, proxemics deal with the management of physical distance and body
orientation in order to communicate agreement or disagreement, indifference, etc. In the FL
classroom, we can help sts avoid misunderstandings by including aspects of proxemics in
communicative activities which simulate real use of the target language, such as role-plays,
interviews, or simulations.

On the whole, there are plenty and important reasons to integrate nonverbal strategies in
the FL class: we cannot expect our sts to develop their c.c. if we do not teach them how to
interpret and use universal and specific features of the target language.

4. CONCLUSION

The role of the teacher, apart from the one mentioned above, will be that of a mediator
and will try to make sts aware of the importance of communicating in tother language to
confront the reality out of the class an also will make them recognise the different approaches
there are to learn a language and which methods will be closer to the sts.

Throughout this presentation we have dealt with the importance of sociocultural

competence for the attainment of the main goal in FLT, which boils down to enabling our sts to
communicate effectively in different contexts.

Similarly, we have studied the different components of nonverbal communication and

the most remarkable methodological implications for the FL teachers. We have also seen that a
specific communicative activity requires the use of oral and written language.

After all, by getting sts to discover how to communicate in the FL, we shall be
contributing to the development of our learners’ c.c., which is the main aim of FLT in PE, as it
is stated in the cv.