When I establish eye contact with a student, I am (hopefully)showing them I am interested in what they have to say and contribute to the discussion. Eye contact can also mean that I have their attention, the student isn't talking to their neighbor or trying to test during class. If a student does'nt want to maintain eye contact with me, I generally find that there is something wrong (personal issue, frustration, etc)and I can address this with the student in private.
This is great & poor eye contact is often a mistake by new instructors. The better the eye contact, the more engaged our students will be with us & the content.
Ryan
Very true that in our culture eye contact demonstrates respect & interest. We do need to be aware of other cultures that we may encounter in the classroom as they may have different norms regarding eye contact.
Ryan
Maintaining eye contact is very important because it shows that you are interested in what is being presented.
Having eye contact with students shows that you are engaging in conversation with them and want them to be present in the room. If instructors do not have good eye contact, students may feel that they are not listening or do not have an interest in what is being said. The first few times I taught I had horrible eye contact. I would focus on the slides or the back wall of the classroom. Now that I am more comfortable, I make it a point to have eye contact with every student in the class several times during the session.
