Kinesics and Para-Language – The power of Body Language in the High School Physics Classroom

In the past, teachers have been using standard pedagogies to present curriculum to students. There is a hidden language that filters human responses. Kinesics (body language) and Para-Language (Voice quality) have been used by politicians and business people to change minds, influence people and get people to do things for years. Television shows like “Lie to Me” and “The Mentalist” have brought Paul Ekman’s research into the popular culture. We can now develop techniques for the physics classroom.

John is the pre-service physics lecture at OISE/UT. He has 30 years of teaching experience in physics and mathematics. John has authored or edited many books at the secondary and elementary levels. John is a published poet and has won the G. Raymond Chang Award for Poetry. He is a life member of the OAPT.