Joy,
yes, eye contact can be a great way to show respect & concern for our students & engage them in the class.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Eye contact involves students in the class. It makes them feel less like "just part of the crowd". It lets them know that you expect them to be a part, to participate, and state their opinions. It also shows them that you care and are interested in what they have to say.
it keeps the student engaged. it also lets them know you are involved with them
It lets students know that I am paying attention to what is happening out in the class room. I hope it also makes them feel like they are in an engaging environment.
I feel that the eyes are a very powerful tool when communicating. It lets the students know that not only through verbal conversation you are lecturing but also with your eyes lecturing you are speaking , paying attention, and understanding your students.
Eye contact to me means that I'm connecting in some nonverbal manner with the student.
The instructor must know his/her classroom especially his/her audience; so the mood and tone of the lecture is not to be dismissed or unimportant to students taking a course. Eye contact is one way to let the students know that they are important and have the attention of the instructor.
Eye contact is important when lecturing in front of students because it helps to engage the students into what you are saying. The body language of eye contact gives off the feeling of importance in the topic.
Eye contact shows that you are interested and is a show of respect when speaking or listening.
Eye contact helps you stay connected with your students and also allows you as an instructor to see how interested they are in a topic also it allows you to see if they understand the material.
In my experience, eye contact is an important sign that one is engaged and present. I often try to focus on every one of my students with a 3-5 second contact during my lectures. It helps to stress a point and can often get a student who may be unfocused back on task.
Maintaining eye contact with students lets the students know that you are engaged in the learning process. It says that you are concerned with whether or not they are participating, understanding, etc.
I let my students know that their eyes are the windows of their attention.
Eye contact is one of the most important keys in controlling and engaging your students. Eye contact with students, often brings them more towards the topic that is being discussed, individualizing that one person who may not be grasping the lecture, will bring them out of their shell. I often arrange my classroom in a way that maximizes interaction between teacher and student. My classroom is often set up in a horseshoe shape that maximizes the amount of eye contact students can have with each other as well as the instructor.
Miklyn,
This is one of the great benefits of that eye contact with students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Good eye contact allows me to engage with each student and encourage class participation at the same time.
I frequently have students who, when giving a class presentation, lock eyes on me and appear to present to me instead of their peers. It's something that I discuss with my students with the intention of improving their presentation skills. It's important to include your entire audience in the presentation and eye contact is a method of accomplishing this goal.
It lets them know they are part of the class, and also helps to keep them engaged. If you ignore them, they will start to entertain themselves.
Maintaining eye contact with the students is very important, it helps to personalize our teaching and they feel more confident in the classroom.
Brian,
you are right & we also need to be aware of varying cultural concepts regarding eye contact.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
