EAGER: A Training Tool to Help Teachers Recognize and Reduce Bias in Their Classroom
Behaviors and Increase Interpersonal Competence
What teachers say is important, but how they say it is also important. Nonverbal behavior
can unintentionally convey information about teachers’ emotional states and personal
biases. Poor nonverbal communication can affect teachers’ abilities to deliver lessons,
assess students and manage classrooms. Effective nonverbal communication increases
student engagement, improves classroom management, and make students feel that the
teacher cares about them. Students with teachers who communicate effectively nonverbally
are more motivated to learn and demonstrate more academic progress. Nonverbal communication
is a skill that can be improved with guidance and reflection. This project will work
with students and teachers to prototype training modules in virtual reality that track
teacher movement. This will compare teachers’ nonverbal behaviors with transformed
nonverbal behaviors that would effectively engage students. It will also give students
from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to observe and participate in our
research at both Cornell University and University of North Texas through lab visits.