Non-verbal communication as a mechanism of cognitive and emotional mediation in the learning

In the last decades, educational research on didactic discourse has focused primarily on the teacher and students use to make communicative behaviors to promote mutual understanding, build shared meaning and facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge. From this perspective, the focus has been on the analysis of verbal language to downplay the influence of nonverbal behaviors in the comprehension, in the process of negotiation of meaning and their construction. The present paper analyzes the role of non-verbal communication behaviors as a mechanism of cognitive and emotional mediation in the learning. The methodology used is based on case studies. The selected sample consists of 4 teachers from compulsory secondary education. However, the interactive analytical approach adopted, students who are part of the school classes studied are also considered part of the sample. The results show a high degree of dependence on both teachers and students of non-verbal communicative behaviors that occur in the classroom. These behaviors are used to access the meaning of educational content that explains the teacher or the mental representations constructed by students, and to create and maintain an emotionally positive classroom environment that promotes student involvement in the process of learning, social development and personal welfare