For me, maintaining eye contact with students is no different than maintaining eye contact during a coversation. In essence, it allows the student to engage with your lecture or demonstration--your conversation.
Eye contact allows the student to know he's "in" your circle. You are drawing him into what you're teaching, and you can often read the facial expression to gauge the student's comprehension. Eye contact allows the student to know you are paying attention to her and will more likely reinforce the rapport you need to engage that student in class discussion and enhance the classroom experience and/or allow an opportunity to address any stumbling blocks that are interfering with student learning.
Nancy,
yes these are all great reasons to ensure good eye contact.
Dr. Ryan Meers
It lets the student know that you aware of their presence in the classroom and that you care. I have found that using eye contact with the students who are reserve or shy lets them know that I care and that I am very much aware of their presence. Smiling also helps.
Tara ,
eye contact really is a powerful tool.
Dr. Ryan Meers
There is a lot of value in having eye contact with students. Looking directly at each student gets them involved. Eye contact displays respect to each of them. Eye contact also keeps the students involved therefore you as an instructor want feel that your are in the discussion by yourself.
Maintaining eye contact with your students keeps them focused and also gives the message that you care.
I think that maintaining eye contact with students is a big piece of keeping them engaged and interacting. I also feel that eye contact is an important "soft skill"-- by using eye contact in the classroom, students learn the importance of eye contact with relationships in the workplace
Nancy,
yes we often emphasize our students keeping eye contact with us, but it's just as important that we maintain eye contact with them when they are speaking.
Dr. Ryan Meers
It makes the students feel important, builds rapport and helps them to have confidence to ask questions.
Eye contact is an important method of personal inclusion. It adds a human element that results in a greater sense of engagement and inclusion on the part of the student. Eye contact can also reveal a level of sincerity that is hard to fake.
Eye contact tell the student that you are engaged, and paying attention to them. If they are speaking, it lets them know that you care about them and that what they have to say is important.
I believe in teaching those students who do not know to get and maintain eye contact with another human being; I stress the importance and hope it becomes apart of them for life.
I have always been taught to look all humans in the eye, and maintain the contact.Because it is the respectful thing to do as well as it is saying to the person you are paying attention to them. They have your attention and you are interested in what they are saying.
I believe eye contact is a great skill to learn.
In my mind it is the only way to truly communicate with people. I am a lawyer and I have to maintain eye contact with juries or they simple will not believe you....sames goes for students.
The main part is let the student know he is being spoken to directly, not as a part of a group.
eye contact should be used to include & evaluate not intimidate. I have seen instructors "stare down" students which puts them on the defensive,this approach does not work well.
share the eye contact, look each student in the eye during the course of the day.
Maintaining eye contact is important. It will show that you are concerned with the progress of the students as well as projecting your level of comfort with the material and with the audience.
I feel that it is very important to have eye contact with your students. It lets them know that you know that they are there. Students will respond to you more if they feel that you are aware of their presence.
Maintaining eye contact of 2-3 seconds with each student as you cover course content/demonstration is so essential in engaging the student and establishing a connection with them. It shows the student that you recognize them as valuable member of the group and you acknowledge their presence in the classroom. It also gives you an idea of student understanding of the content presented and interest, as well as clues to those students who are losing interest or perplexed or just don't get the material. Recognize that maintaining eye contact for too long may make the student feel uncomfortable and be cognizant of the fact that for some, even a mere 2-3 seconds of eye contact can cause them to feel uncomfortable. In this case, it is best to look in the general area near the head. Here again, it is important to "read" your students. Bottom line: having good eye contact is essential to becoming a good instructor.
It involves the student and makes them feel like they are part of the class. i feel like it makes them pay attention to what you are saying also.
