Presence in the Classroom

Abstract

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.”