During the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) I learned a lot about the didactical side of education. Concepts like constructive alignment, engaging teaching methods and blended learning form the foundation of good education. A class must be structured logically, align with the learning objectives and prepare students for the exam. That is essential and I have spent a great deal of time developing those didactical skills.
Nevertheless, I recently received some feedback on something you actually learn very little about during the UTQ. Surprisingly, the feedback hardly touched on my explanations, the structure of the lesson or the assignments. Instead, students wrote that they appreciated my enthusiasm, that I always greeted them with a smile and that they felt welcome in my lessons. One student even wrote that my smile made them feel more motivated to participate during an early morning class. That surprised me. I’d never consciously realized that something so small could have such a big impact.
The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Teaching does not start with the first slide of a presentation, but the moment students enter the lecture hall. In that moment you as a teacher largely set the tone.
A smile, a short question about the weekend or a genuine greeting, shows that students are more than their student number. This experience got extra significance when I read a recent scientific article about the role of facial expressions of teachers in the learning process. The writers describe that a genuine smile can make sure that students experience their teacher as more open, warmer and emotionally available. This way students feel safer to ask questions, make mistakes and actively participate in class. Furthermore, it turns out that positive facial expressions contribute to motivation, engagement and willingness to cooperate. Even the experienced difficulty of an assignment can decrease whenever a teacher expresses positive emotions.
Simultaneously, the scientists also warn that a smile is only affective when it is genuine. Students also recognize whenever an emotional expression is not authentic. These findings were in line with my own experiences. In multiple evaluations, I got the feedback that my enthusiasm is contagious. For a long time, I saw this as just a nice compliment, but now I also see it as an important part of my teaching. I once read the statement “knowlegde is power, but enthusiasm sparks action.” That statement has stuck with me, because it perfectly captures what I’m seeing more often in my teaching. Because students do not always come into the lecture hall with motivation. Some have already had a long dat or are worried about deadlines or might have a lot to worry about privately.
In moments like these, there is little point in diving straight into the subject matter. Sometimes the atmosphere needs to change first. This is exactly where the teacher has an important role to play. Of course, every student shares responsibility for the learning process, but as a teacher, you set the tone. You can make it clear that learning is a shared responsibility, whilst at the same time setting a good example by being open, curious and radiating enthusiasm.
The great thing is that this barely costs any extra time. Greeting students personally or briefly mention something that they told you before: it’s the little gestures that contribute to a safe learning environment. Because of this it creates space for interaction and students are more likely to ask questions or contribute actively with ideas. Ultimately, this also helps to achieve the learning objectives.
These experiences have changed my outlook on education. Obviously, I will still spend a lot of my attention on the didactical qualities of my classes. But I now realize that a good class design really comes to fruition when students feel seen and welcome. The relation between teachers and students is not a side issue, it forms an important condition for effective learning.
Maybe it is not explicitly stated that a smile should be in your teaching-programme However, the feedback from my students had taught me that a smile can be the beginning of a teaching environment where students feel safe enough to learn, ask questions and develop themselves. Maybe we underestimate how many of these small moments we as teachers are not always conscious of, mean for your education.
Because sometimes learning does not start with the contents of the class, but with something rather simple: a smile.
Gillian de Zwart
MSc. Teacher, Faculty Behavioral and Movement sciences
Literature
Assali, M. A. (2024). The Power of a Smile: Exploring the Connection between Teacher Facial Expressions and ESL Learning. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(7), 1517–1524. https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v3i7.4316
