It may seem daunting but backchannelling opens up the classroom and allows you to connect much more with your learners, as well as encouraging learners to connect with each other. The result can be much more active participation and a sense of community. For teachers, the sense of keeping a ‘finger on the pulse’ of the classroom can quickly become addictive. As a colleague recently said in an online forum ‘I can’t teach without it anymore!’. Most importantly, backchannels allow learners to