Proxemics. The proxemic behavior during the interaction is a balance of social and personal distances. I have a social distance between myself and the teachers on the other side of the table and a personal distance with the teachers to my right. The table
provides the social space. I have seated myself at the front corner of the table for a few reasons: (1) I will be using the laptop during the session; (2) I am the primary person delivering content, so attention needs to be up front; and (3) I need to have direct gaze with a new teacher, whose folder I placed directly across from me. I needed to be able to read her nonverbal and verbal language, so I could address her unspoken and spoken concerns. Throughout the interaction, I maintain the same social and personal distance – only closing the social distance when the teacher tells her story in panel 5 about being late. I did this to show that I was listening in a close and caring way. I could not leave my place and get closer, so I leaned in to my edge of the table and closed the social distance.
Posture. I begin the meeting sitting in an upright position, leaning slightly to my right (as I just concluded a brief exchange with a teacher to my right). As the teacher across the table finishes saying, “so….” in panel 3, I put the manila folder down, and lean forward as I say “Uh oh, what happened?” I also bring my arms up on the table. Both the leaning posture and the change in arm position communicate that I am open to the
interaction and eager to hear what happened. There is no physical barrier (i.e. Folder) and the distance between us has closed. I maintain this position until the teacher to my right asks about another teacher who was missing, and I shifted my right shoulder slightly to her direction –indicating that I was listening to her (but only slightly). Finally, I
change my posture when I say that “she’s around and about”. I lift up in my chair and scoot myself slightly forward. This is a sign that I am ready to begin the meeting, a motion that was partially created by the teacher’s question about the whereabouts of the other teacher. I could tell that she was ready to get the meeting going –despite the
missing teacher. Thus, I made myself ready and showed that through my change in posture. I maintained that posture through the rest of the interaction.
Gestures. As the teacher enters and she begins to tell her story, my hands are completing a practical task with the folder. My left hand closes the folder, lifts it up, and taps it on the table in the 3rd panel. As the story turns more serious, my hands put the folder down and come up to the table. Though the basket obscures the view, my hand are joined together with my pen while she tells the story (one hand clicks the pen), which somewhat shows that I am open and caring, reflecting the seriousness of her story. However, because my hands are still engaged in a practical task with the pen, it also communicates that I am not entirely open. When the new teacher enters, my hands remain down holding my pen, which I continue as I address the other teacher’s unheard question. As the new teacher sits down, I use the pen in my hands to tap a beat gesture in the final 2 panels (twice as she sits and then four musical taps as I ask “How are things goin’?”). Perhaps this is a way to signal to her that I am ready to engage.
Head Movement. My head movement helps me facilitate my gaze and lend expression, as well. As the teacher begins to tell her story, my head is leaning to my right shoulder in a casual manner because I she has just entered. When I hear the story turn more serious (in the 3rd panel), my head goes upright and remains that way until the 7th panel when I turn my head upward. I use a sagittal nod at that moment to show that I understand. My head lifts up and drops to another slight sagittal nod in the 8th panel as I say “Oohhh, okay…”. My head then rotates sharply to my left shoulder as the new
teacher enters. This illustrates my desire to be done with the other teacher’s story and my need to make sure that the new teacher comes in, sees her folder and gets settled. When
the teacher on my right asks something, my head turns back to my right slightly –but not enough to face her (which again reinforces that my attention is not entirely focused on her or her question). On the way, my head actually pauses on the story-telling teacher again as she settles her things. My head rotates back towards the new teacher in mid- answer (“around and about”) as she starts to sit. This also shows that I am not really engaged with the questioning teacher. My head tilts down slightly to my folder and then goes up slightly as I ask “How are things goin’?”
Gaze. During this interaction, my gaze is directed towards the teacher who is telling the story about almost being late to the meeting. I am smiling during the first two panels but as the story turns serious (“somebody’s not there to pick up from Specials”), my expression turns to surprise (with the eyebrow flash in the 3rd panel) as I maintain my gaze. I keep my gaze fixed on her during this exchange to show that I am listening and attentive. As she concludes and I see that it was resolved well, I drop my gaze to what she is doing (putting down her things, pulling out her chair). As the new teacher comes in (7th panel), I shift my gaze to her as I say “Hello” and then the teacher to my right asks an unheard question, so I turn my gaze to her, but I am looking down and to the right as I answer her. My gaze seems to shift in an unstructured way to the chair to the red folder and then back up to the new teacher. This shows two things: that I am attending to her question, but I am also trying to attend to the new teacher as she comes in. My gaze goes back to the new teacher as she settles in, and then it moves down to my folder and back up to her as I ask “How are things goin’?”
Print. Throughout the interaction, I am only engaged with the disembodied print on the Activboard, which tells the general purpose of the meeting and sets the tone of
teamwork (in a light manner). I did not want to engage with the documents in the folder because the interaction with the teachers as they entered the room was paramount. In order to build rapport, I engaged them in personal banter before we got to the meeting details. If I had immediately opened the folder and gotten to the papers within and the PowerPoint for the meeting, I would have communicated a disconnect with them as people.
Layout. I am sitting at a large rectangular wooden table that is fixed in the middle of the room. The table was shined before the meeting to present a clean, orderly
environment. However, because the meeting involves teachers (and no guests), the table surface is a bit cluttered The table is being used to support folders, papers, a water bottle, gray and pink plastic baskets filled with pens and sticky notes, and a large woven basket filled with candy and snacks. I placed the plastic baskets (and their supplies) and manila folders on the table before the meeting, so the teachers could quickly come in and we could get to work. The large red folder is for the RTI leader, so I have placed it directly to my right so she will sit next to me and help me with any questions from the team. I also did this work to show that I was prepared for their arrival and that I cared deeply about the topic and their time. The walls of the rectangular room are painted white cinderblock, helping to communicate a serious, almost sterile setting. The walls are bare except for two scenic portraits. The chair in which I am seated is made of a cushioned synthetic leather; it can roll on the carpeted surface. The teachers come in, stand at the table to find their folder, and then sit in similar chairs. While a dark credenza and two dark bookshelves are also in the room (which add both formality and familiarity to the setting), the only other piece of equipment in the layout that pertains to the meeting is the
Activboard, which displays the title of the meeting “SSTepping up to the Student Support Plate: Response to Intervention at Big Creek ES”. This is a play on words that aligns with the pre-planning baseball theme.
Figure 20
MULTIMODAL DENSITY CIRCLE: TALKING WITH SOME 3RD GRADE