ERIC Number: EJ1048105
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0271-0633
EISSN: N/A
"Presence" in the Classroom
Hufford, Don
New Directions for Teaching and Learning, n140 p11-21 Win 2014
This chapter is designed to provide a stimulus for reflective thinking. The intent is to encourage teachers to reflect upon--even question--a teaching methodology that recognizes and builds upon the learning potential inherent in a cacophony of voices, paradoxical worldviews, and divergent ways of personal being. A pedagogical possibility is explored, one that courts creativity, intellectual flexibility, and open-minded dialectical response. The possibility relates to the orchestration of a classroom setting in which previously silent voices--particularly the socially, politically, or culturally silenced--will join the educational chorus. Here is an academic setting where every student is allowed, encouraged, and expected to be personally "present" in the classroom. Without "presence" there is diminished self-identity and a negation of authentic personhood. Without authentic conversational interaction, there is reduced possibility of an "intentional" learning community that is "inclusive" of diverse voices. To seek the full reality of student "presence" in a classroom is to open a door that allows the "other" to interact with the "I."
Descriptors: Reflective Teaching, Teaching Methods, Classroom Environment, Student Participation, Student Role, Interaction, Communities of Practice
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A