Jacqueline Leshage_20332874 EDCC 514_SECTION A_FINAL ASSIGNMENT 30/06/ 2020

“PRESENCE AS A POWERFUL FORM OF CLASSROOM COMMUNICATION”

INTRODUCTION

Can presence be cultivated among teachers? Presence is the outward reflection of your inner world; it
tells other people that you are in command of your life. There’s a possibility of being present and yet
absent at the same time. Teachers are required to be in connection with themselves and the student in
front of them, not only physically but emotionally, spiritually and intellectually present within their
classrooms and schools. Emotionally in a sense that an individual can sense things as happy or sad
long before a follower tells him or her, a teacher who has practiced this skills can look across a room
of children and instantly notice who seems to be “tuned into or out of” the moment. Spiritual presence
has to do with connection, the ability to be present even when you are not and also unconditional love
given to others. There is also intellectual presence, whereby as a teacher you have to know your
subject very well than others, through planning and preparation before you go to class. The quality of
presence (a state of attentiveness, openness/approachability and connectedness) amongst individuals
and the group in the context of learning should be taught clearly in teacher education programmes, as
to develop and refine one’s command of presence by focusing on authenticity, relationships, and
confidence. A teacher’s physical presence in the classroom conveys powerful communications to
students; a teacher who projects confidence, self-control, kindness and excitement in learning not only
will make students feel safe, and ready to learn but will also provide a daily model of what students
can aspire to be.

PRESENCE IN EDUCATION/TEACHING

Teaching is viewed as engaging in an authentic relationship with students where teachers know and
respond with intelligence and compassion to students and their learning. This engagement is defined
as ‘presence’- a state of alert awareness, receptivity and connectedness to mental, emotional and
physical workings of both the individual and the group in the context of their learning environments
and the ability to response with a considered and compassionate best next step (Rodgers & Raider-
Roth, 2006). Teacher presence is about how teachers communicate who they are, what they believe
about teaching and learning and also how they operate

According to Prof Jonathan Jansen 2018, the teachers’ presence is fuelled by the truth, by being
honest with them. A teacher’s presence in the lives of students tend to last a lifetime because, when
you invest in them and let them know that they are far more than just a name on a register, you go
from being a teacher they learn from to a mentor they trust. The presence you leave with them each
day will be imprinted on their hearts for years to come.
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According to Rodgers & Raider-Roth, (2006), presence from the teacher’s point of view is the
experience of bringing one’s whole self to full attention (to listen or pay close attention to; to remain
ready to serve) so as to perceive (to seize wholly; to see all the way through; to become aware of
directly through the senses, especially to see or hear; to take notice of, observe, detect) what is
happening in the moment. The image of an alert mind, ready to serve, captures much of what we
mean by presence.

The Relationship between Teacher-Student

The power of interaction between teacher and student impacts student success greatly, and has shown
to have even a larger effect on satisfaction and perceived learning than interaction with peers.

The relationship between teacher and student is important in student achievement, motivation and
commitment and in their capacity to trust what they know (Midgley et al., 1989; Piana, 1999; Roeser
et al., 2000; Rodgers, in press; Raider-Roth, 2005a,b cited in Rodgers & Raider-Roth, 2006), and the
quality of these relationship is an essential feature of learning of and that that allows these kind of
relationship to flourish is complex and includes mental, physical, emotional and relational resources
of the teacher. Presence seems to be very important in the mutual acts of learning and teaching, and as
widely acknowledged as it is in various literature, it is not often explicitly taught in teacher programs
(Garrison & Rud, 1995; Liston, 1995 cited in Rodgers & Raider-Roth, 2006).

Critical Theory

According to Higgs and Smith, (1996) the Critical theory (modern education and systems theory)
whereby John Dewey insisted on the need for unity between the child, the teacher, the school and
society at large portrayed the climate of education to be the main structure that will influence the
teacher to take the centre role of being there physically, emotionally, intellectually, temporally and
spiritually for students in order to steer them in the right direction. In my opinion, John Dewey
portrayed the climate or environment of education as an organic unity, where the main purpose is to
strive for and maintain unity in the classroom environment. He further clarified the role of education
as being the place in which future communities were born, where there is a creative dialogue between
the teacher and the child; again as a student teacher myself I believe that the relationship between a
teacher and a student is at the heart of a learning process and for it to be a success there has to be an
effective communication between the two and the teacher has to be fully present by connecting with
students on different levels that will ultimately work in their best interest by developing presence as
self-awareness or connection to the self; presence as connection to students; presence as connection to
subject matter and learning knowledge (a teacher’s pedagogy is the most visible aspect of presence;
the teacher pays close attention to the subject matter and her students’ engagement with it and in order
for a teacher to be free to be present to learning, it is necessary to have a deep knowledge of the
subject matter, children and learning and a range of educational skills). John Dewey (1933 cited in
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Rodgers & Raider-Roth, 2006), in How we think used an adjective “alive” to explain the role the
teacher has to retain, that teacher must give full attention to observation and interpretation of the
pupils’ intellectual reactions. He/she must be alive to all forms of bodily expression of mental
condition as well as sensitive to the meaning of all expression in words’ (p. 275). Therefore, in that
way the teacher will outshine his/her role in encouraging, influencing and enriching the student to be
the best they can be. According to Rogers & Raider-Roth, (2006), the current climate of education
pays attention to the fundamentals of classroom life; the relationships, the affective and cognitive
interactions between students and teachers, the construction of genuine learning experiences and a
hospitable school climate is important because these are the very elements of classroom practice that
are threatened by the current educational trends. On a personal level, I have experienced the
transformative power of a teacher who was active in her role as a teacher, an exceptional teacher who
made school an exciting and interesting place to be. She had a passion for the subject she taught and
had genuine care for her learners and inspired us as learners to think deeply and take more challenging
work; and that according to the critical theory is what is needed from an educator to encourage the
child to think critically and reconstruct a practical, just and workable social reality.

African Philosophy

According to the African Philosophical theory, Ubuntu – humanity, which means “I am because
you are”. Recognises that the human self exists and develops only in relationships with other persons
(Higgs and Smith, 1996). Ubuntu provides a strong philosophical base for the community, and we
must view the school as a community. To promote the good of the school is to promote the good of all
its members, including teachers, SGB’S and students. Ubuntu emphasises the richness of people’s
cultural heritage and goes a long way in providing principles for application in practice, especially for
whatever we engage in as participants in the world of work (Msengana, 2006:83). Education plays a
significant role in the development of human values and mankind, and the African philosophy
indicates that the primary method of teaching were said to focus on the development of character and
the overcoming of basic character flaws. According to Mahaye (2018), Mahatma Ghandi, values have
to be taught in such a manner that they are captivated and lived, he also made a statement that, when it
comes to teaching you must have a good spiritual connection between the teacher and the student and
if this kind of relationship doesn’t exist between the two parties, nothing good can be expected from
the school. Without good teacher-student relationship it is very hard for the teaching to unfold
naturally. The teacher has to be inspired to teach her subject and in return her students will show
respect and appreciation in the teaching profession. This is the kind of presence that is needed in the
classroom, whereby the teacher taps into the spiritual phenomenon of the students and connect to
them. The teacher has to have certain qualities that will enable him or her to connect with the
students, and those qualities need to be cultivated and examined because the teacher influences the
life of a student, now if their qualities are not refined and they end up getting the wrong kind of
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students, those students would end-up undermining the teacher or creating difficulties for the teacher;
w hich will ultimately result in the teacher being disturbed or the learning process being disturbed
preventing the teacher to be fully present for students or to be fully attentive to his/her students. For
the teacher and student to have a good connection they have to respect each other to maintain good
communication between them. That is the basis for any relationship, and that can only take place if it
is anchored on the solid valued and principles of Ubuntu.

REFERENCE LIST

Msengana, N. W. 2006. The Significance of the Concept ‘Ubuntu’ For Educational Management And
Leadership During Democratic Transformation in South Africa. Dissertation- PhD. University of
Stellenbosch

Mahaye, N. E. 2019. The Philosophy of Ubuntu In Edycation. Internal Journal: Academia. Ed.
Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336995193

Lefa, B. J. 2015. The African Philosophy of Ubuntu in South African Education. Faculty of Education
and Social Scinces: Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Jansen, J. 2018. ‘Presencee as a powerful f orm of classroom communication. University of

Stellenbosch

Oxtoby, K. 2016. Building your presence in the classroom. The Voice for Secondary Education

Rodgers, C. R., & Raider-Roth, M. B. 2006. Presence in teaching. Teachers and Teaching: theory
and Practice, 12:3, 265-287, DOI: 10.1080/13450600500467548