ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the messages teachers use and the ways teachers can use them effectively in the classroom to enhance learning outcomes. It highlights research on the types of instructional messages, discusses a number of knowledge claims yielded from the research, and provides ideas for future research in these areas. The chapter focuses on some of the major research programs and studies conducted seminal study. The act of gaining and keeping students' attention involves both message delivery, accompanied by appropriate nonverbal behaviors, and encoding the message in a way that will connect with students. Instructional communication scholars have had a long-standing interest in the benefits of humor in the classroom. In attempts to identify the behaviors of award-winning teachers, researchers have noted they used moderate amounts of humor throughout their lectures.