ABSTRACT
Possibly the best place to observe non-verbal instruction in action is during a primary school assembly. The whole school is seated in the hall, children are in class group rows and the staff are seated down the sides of the hall. Non-verbal instructions or signals can be observed throughout the assembly. Teachers will be using 'the look' to maintain order amongst their group. Teachers should be inventive when devising non-verbal instructions. The best starting point is a list of all the occasions for which voice is currently used. Students appreciate a novel approach to behaviour management and are more likely to remember the instructions. There should also be an equal number of positive and negative signals: there is a danger that teachers may develop a whole range of signals to remind students when they are off task, but use only a simple 'thumbs up' as a reward.
